


Ice and Fire

by PoeticAnt44



Category: Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Attempt at Humor, Canon-Typical Violence, Dragon In Your Head, Dragon Language, Dragon Souls, Dragonborn (Elder Scrolls), Dunmeri Language, Elder Scrolls Lore, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Falling In Love, Fantastic Racism, Father-Daughter Relationship, Friendship/Love, Huddling For Warmth, Implied/Referenced Torture, Inspired by Skyrim, Love, Love Confessions, Modded Skyrim, Mother-Daughter Relationship, On the Run, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Racism, Self-Defense, Self-Esteem Issues, Sex, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Solstheim, Some Humor, Threesome - F/M/M, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-27
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:29:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 43
Words: 141,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22925674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PoeticAnt44/pseuds/PoeticAnt44
Summary: Anise is a Dunmer woman growing up in the Gray Quarter in Windhelm cleaning houses for the wealthy.  It was all she knew, having been born there.  Her mother works to help the poor of the Gray Quarter and she never knew her father.  Anise is a not so very graceful woman, full of sarcasm and self-depreciation.  She uses her wit and intelligence to get by in life.One night, she is forced to kill in self-defense, and since no one will believe a Dark Elf, she is forced to flee to Solstheim to find Teldryn Sero, a close friend of her mother's, to protect her.  Spending almost a year in training to survive with Teldryn, she comes to find that Teldryn was not only a friend of her mother's but Anise's father, which had been kept a secret.  In anger, she fled to seek out life on her own in Skyrim only to stumble onto the fact that she was the Dragonborn.  In Helgen, she fled once more with Ulfric Stormcloak, and because he is alone, he hires her to bring him safely back to Windhelm, forcing them to survive and get to know one another.  After the dragon attack in Helgen, Anise discovered her head is not alone and her soul contains the soul of another sentient being.Fan Art Chapter 7
Relationships: Dovahkiin | Dragonborn/Ulfric Stormcloak, Female Dovahkiin | Dragonborn/Farkas, Female Dovahkiin | Dragonborn/Ulfric Stormcloak, Female Dovahkiin | Dragonborn/Vilkas, Female Dunmer | Dragonborn/Ulfric Stormcloak, Teldryn Sero/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 217
Kudos: 157





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I have been really wanting to write a Dunmer female with Ulfric Stormcloak...an Enemies/Friends/Love trope. Anise is a bit bumbling and not the prettiest thing, but in return, I tried to give her humor, sarcasm and artistic talent and intelligence. Ulfric is also not as racist here as he is in the games and soon learns to appreciate, at least Anise, a Dunmer as he gets to know her. The Dragonborn is supposed to have a dragon soul in them and here I wanted that dragon soul aware and have the DB and dragon talking to each other and struggle to work together.
> 
> Ulfric himself has quite the tragic backstory, which I write about in this.
> 
> Now, I'm not a fan of the beginning of the game in Helgen, but I wrote it and adapted to it to try and keep it interesting. I don't have quote for quote conversations and try to use more my imagination rather than canon. 
> 
> I'm half-way done with this story, but I will have more characters and tags, which will be added later.
> 
> Honest criticisms are welcome.
> 
> Last note...Thank you, thank you, thank you to Vokunkendov for being a second pair of eyes and giving me tons of ideas for this story! I appreciate it so very much!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is about how Alkiirvur, the Dragonborn's dragon soul comes to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading my newest story. I hope you enjoy it! I appreciate you taking the time to read it and comments mean everything to me! I respond to each and every one. <3

_Alkiirvur sat before Akatosh. His spikey tail curled up around his legs, horned snout held high, and ice-blue eyes focused on the other dragon before him. It was a proud moment for Alkiirvur as he stood before his father, his creator, his god. It was an honor any dragon would hold in high regard, all but one—Alduin._

_“Alduin, my first, is a shame and a disappointment among your brothers. He chose to go against his destiny in his hunger for power and greed to rule over man, mer, and beast.” Akatosh’s fiery form appeared to grow bigger and brighter in his anger of his firstborn. “He disgraced his brothers, especially those that fought alongside him. For those who fought to defeat Alduin shall be rewarded, allowing you all to reestablish your honor in my eyes for siding with him in the beginning.”_

_“Thank you, father, my lord. The honor is mine,” Alkiirvur said, bowing before his father and god, his long neck full of dark blue and white scales stretched to the ground in deference. “Alduin shamed us all. It was my honor to fight alongside Parthurnaax in Alduin’s defeat. There is only one dragon god, and that is you, my lord.”_

_“Yes, but you and others stood against Alduin from the beginning. As you know, though man defeated Alduin, they did not slay him. No one can slay him, even by the hands of my Dragonborn. Alduin’s destiny has merely been postponed for his eventual return,” Akatosh said, looking down at the prostrated dragon before him. Alkiirvur fought tirelessly with Parthurnaax, who was instrumental in the defeat of Alduin. It was the reason Alkiirvur sat before him instead of Parthurnaax or any other dragon._

_Akatosh trusted Alkiirvur more than Parthurnaax, who turned his back on his father and instead embraced Kynareth. He did not know how the goddess convinced Parthurnaax to fight against Alduin or how she talked him into helping the Nords, but Akatosh did not interfere as long as Parthurnaax helped to defeat Alduin._

_“Do you think Alduin will fulfill his destiny should he return, father?” Alkiirvur asked, interrupting the God of Dragons’ thoughts._

_“If I know my firstborn, which I do, he will not. He yearns for power above all else. It matters not to him he is already a god. He sees himself as a god among the mortals and wishes not to kill the very thing that will worship him, fueling his ego. When he returns, he will raise his army of dragon loyalists and try once more. When that time comes, I will need you.”_

_“It will be my honor to serve once again, my lord,” Alkiirvur said, meaning it, but was curious what his reward would be. He would do whatever it took to do Akatosh’s bidding. The Dragon War was a great one that took many lives, and he looked forward to helping defeat Alduin once more in another great battle._

_“As you know, no one can kill the dragons. I created you in my form, making them immortal. Once a dragon dies, its soul remains until awakened. Alduin will come once more and raise those dragons, my children, who were loyal to him. He will not awaken those who plotted against him that led to his defeat.”_

_“I understand. What would you have me do, father?”_

_“The only way to kill a dragon is a Dragonborn, my mortal child. When Alduin returns through the time a thousand years from now, so will the Dragonborn awaken. The Dragonborn will assist you in the defeat of Alduin once more. Alduin is a god and cannot die, even at the hands of the Dragonborn, but they can defeat him. We will defeat Alduin over and over until he returns one day to me, tail tucked between his legs, broken, and begs for me to return him to his original purpose—the Destroyer of Worlds.”_

_“As you command, father. I live to serve,” Alkiirvur said._

_“Very well. Alkiirvur. You shall return to the mortal realm of Nirn when Alduin reaches the time wound. Your reward and my gift are for you to be my instrument in Alduin’s defeat, fighting alongside the Dragonborn. Would you be willing to fight for me once more, Alkiirvur?”_

_The battle-hardened dragon bowed deeply. “It would be my honor, father. It will be a glorious reward to defeat Alduin once again and set him on his path back to his destiny. He will return to you, begging for forgiveness.”_

_“You do_ me _the honor, Alkiirvur. Come closer to me, my child, bow your head once more, and I will bestow upon you my great gift.”_

_The large blue and white dragon stood tall and proud as he ambled towards his father. He bowed his horned head before him as ordered, uncertain of what Akatosh was going to do with him, what gift was to be given, but he was unafraid._

_“Alduin must learn his lesson and be punished until he returns to his proper path and fulfills his destiny. For that, he must have a true enemy who has the power to defeat him as an equal,” Akatosh explained._

_It honored Alkiirvur that Akatosh believed him to be the best dragon to defeat Alduin. It was a great honor, indeed. Akatosh took his great fiery wings and brought them forth with such power; it caused a tremendous heated wind against Alkiirvur’s icy face. He looked up to see what Akatosh was doing when he saw a vast sphere of swirling and fiery magic form before him. It was a massive ball of light, almost as big as Alkiirvur himself._

_The sphere of light drew him in as if he had no control over his desire to hold it and feel it. It was a splendid gift indeed, this fiery magic. Alkiirvur couldn’t resist its lure as it tugged and pulled at his mind, heart, and soul, like some tasty morsel in front of one who had never eaten before. He lifted his head to inspect it further, wanting to wrap his entire body around the smoldering orb in a strange embrace._

What is this beautiful thing that is before me?

_The closer he got to the sphere, the more it drew him to it. He could feel the entirety of his being sucked into it with love and devotion. The ebb and flow of the orb seemed to suck his very life-force out of his body. His only thoughts were to be a part of the sphere itself._ This gift and I must be one _. Before he realized it, he no longer felt a part of his body as it ripped his soul from it. Alkiirvur panicked when he looked back and saw his body as it lay there dead on the ground, unmoving, before Akatosh. Then it slowly caught fire, ashes floating away, leaving nothing but bones._

No! What has happened to me? I thought I was being rewarded, not punished!

_Before he could think further about what happened to him, everything went dark, and his life gone, as Akatosh’s orb trapped his very soul to be held until the rise of the Last Dragonborn._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: Anise and life as a Dunmer in the Gray Quarter


	2. A Day in the Life of Dunmer Maids

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anise is a poor Dunmer girl who cleans houses to get by, and lives with her mother in the Gray Quarter. This is basically just a character development piece.
> 
> There is some Dunmeri language in this chapter and story. Not all is 'official' Dunmeri...there are quite a few sites that have some nice translations, but I have tried my best to keep as authentic as I could. I'm sure my translations are awful, but you get the idea lol.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is some Dunmeri language in this chapter and story. Not all are 'official' Dunmeri...there are quite a few sites that have some nice translations, but I have tried my best to keep as authentic as I could. I'm sure my translations are awful, but you get the idea lol.

_Windhelm_

_That Viola Giordano is infuriating!_ Anise loathed working for her. The older woman was mean and crazy, but she gave Anise coin enough to survive, so she never complained outright to the woman’s face, not that there was much to live for in the Gray Quarter where they forced the Dunmer to live in squalor. Things weren’t too bad until the rebellion started, then the Nords became openly hostile towards her and her people. The Nords hated the Dark Elves, but it wasn’t always apparent. Now, instead of hiding their disdain, they were open about it.

Anise Heran hated living in Windhelm. Not only because of the hate from the Nords, but it was always bitterly cold and snowing. The wind would blast through the narrow alleyways that penetrated one’s very soul. But it was the only place she had ever known being born in Windhelm. 

Her mother and her family fled from Morrowind a long time ago. Anise lived with her mother, never knowing her father. He lived in the Gray Quarter at the time, long before her mother arrived. That was all the information her mother provided about him—that and he left to find his fortune, tired of living in filth in the Gray Quarter, despite loving her mother. He didn’t even know Anise existed. 

She didn’t know if her mother wanted to go with her father or if he left her behind. She tried asking her mother a slew of questions about him when she was younger, but her mother refused to talk about it, so Anise ultimately stopped asking.

She was scrubbing the floors when Viola walked in after posting all her pamphlets around town regarding the murders happening in Windhelm. So far, someone had killed three girls, which left the entire city on edge, even more than usual, especially for the young women. _None of the victims had been Dunmer, but it will only be a matter of time_ , Anise thought.

Viola looked down at the Dunmer girl scrubbing her floor. Disgust masked her face, which wasn’t unusual for the old woman. “I bet the murderer is a Dunmer. What do you think, girl? Do you think the murderer is one of you? It wouldn’t surprise me. Most of you are criminals, anyway. You fill our streets with your filth and crime. At least you have enough sense to do some honest work. That’s more than can be said for the rest of your people.”

Anise looked up at the old crone. She may have been 40 Winters, for all Anis knew, but her graying hair and abundance of wrinkles from the harsh climate caused most of the Nords in the city to not age very well. 

“I wouldn’t know, ma’am,” she said, keeping her voice meek only because she needed the job. _How about I shove my broomstick up your ass and then tell me to my face about my people?_ The image of Viola with a broom up her ass left Anise in disgust from the imagery, but the thoughts gave her pleasure as she suffered the old bag’s verbal assault.

“Oh, I bet you know. I bet you all hoard and protect that murderer because he’s your kind. You gray skins are all alike.”

_Horker fucker_ , Anise thought. She tried not to snigger as she imagined Viola being fucked to death by a giant horker. Who knew, maybe Viola would like that since she was always trying to get into the breeches of Captain Lonely-Gale who had recently lost his wife. He always shunned her, though politely. But Viola had no shame. Apparently, wealth didn’t buy one class.

“No one would miss you, girl, if he got ahold of you and killed you,” the older woman cackled. “Well, let’s be honest. He probably wouldn’t like you, anyway. You’re not exactly the prettiest thing. All the Nord girls killed were beautiful. I guess you are safe to keep cleaning my floors.”

_N’wah! No one will miss you if I suffocate you with my filthy rag either, old hag_. 

When Anise didn’t respond to her taunting and goading, she huffed and disappeared to make more pamphlets to post around Windhelm. The woman seemed to take it upon herself as the only one who could possibly solve the murders. _That n’wah couldn’t find her smalls if she were wearing them on her head, let alone a murderer,_ she thought. 

When she finished with the floors, she approached Viola, bowing to avoid any more ire from the decrepit woman. 

“Ma’am, I’m done cleaning for the day.”

Viola looked at the girl and scoffed. She stood up from her desk and inspected every inch of the house to make sure the girl missed nothing. 

If Anise was anything, she was thorough. There was no way she was going to repeat cleaning or not get paid. 

Satisfied, Viola opened her coin purse. “Very well, girl. Here’s your pay.”

Anise snatched the gold in case the old woman changed her mind at any moment, curtsied, and grabbed her moth-eaten woolen cloak. Once outside on the doorstep, she inspected every dark corner. It would take her the entire day to clean Viola’s house, and it was now evening. She could barely see a thing even with all the braziers lit, which cast deep shadows, imagining a murderer lurking around every dark corner. She was afraid, despite all the victims being Nord women. Anise took a deep breath and scurried home. 

She was nervous, leaving Viola’s home to her apartment in the Gray Quarter by herself. It was hard to run through the icy streets without falling and breaking her neck, though it seemed she tried having such clumsy feet. She grew up in Windhelm but never got used to the icy streets. Most people were sure-footed in Windhelm; she was not one of them.

The evening was frigid with snow gusting in her face, and the air felt like it was stabbing her lungs as she rushed through the city. The only good thing about the blustering wind was that it blew away most of the stench from the city, especially from the Gray Quarter. There was not much infrastructure there, and the Dunmer just threw out their waste into the streets with nowhere else to put it.

Anise traversed through the wealthy neighborhood, and once she reached closer to the Gray Quarter, there were no longer any guards. They didn’t bother to waste their time protecting the Dunmer. That was when she ran, her heart beating faster from fear. She screamed out when she fell down the icy steps, landing on her tailbone, sprawled out on the cold stones— _Ow!_

“ _N’chow_ ,” she yelled out at no one, rubbing her tailbone as she stood with care so she wouldn’t fall again.

She limped the rest of the way home as fast as she could, continuing to rub her bruised bottom. Once she reached her apartment, she slammed the door behind her and leaned against it until her heart settled down.

“Is that you, Anise?” her mother called out.

“Yes, _alma_. I’m home now.”

Her mother greeted her at the door, wiping her hands on her apron, holding out her hand. “Did the vile _n’wah_ pay you today, or did she conveniently forget again?”

“No, she paid me,” Anise said as she handed her the coins, withholding a couple for herself, then limped to her room.

“What happened to you, _yi daelha_? Why are you limping?”

“Oh, I just had a fight with a flight of icy steps. My butt lost.”

Her mother giggled at her description. “Oh, Anise. Why are you always falling?”

“The better question is, why is this Azura-forsaken city always covered in ice? It’s a wonder I have broken no bones yet.”

“Well, if you aren’t in too much pain, I need you to take this pot of stew over to New Gnisis Cornerclub first thing in the morning, please. There are some new Dunmer who are hungry, and Ambarys doesn’t have enough food for everyone.”

“ _Alma_ , we can barely afford to feed ourselves, and they don’t appreciate it, anyway! They just take us for granted.”

“Now listen, girl, there may be a day when you need help from others. We Dunmer need to stick together and help each other because no one else will. You understand this. I am not doing this for their thanks.”

It was a lecture she heard a thousand times. She understood her mother’s reasoning. It wasn’t like Anise didn’t want to help her people, but she was afraid she could never save enough gold to get out of the Gray Quarter. Although there was a handsome Dunmer who arrived a few weeks ago that she had her eye on. Not that he would take notice of her. She felt ugly, and people had taken to calling her plain. _Yes, because who wouldn’t love the ugly and clumsy Dunmer girl_ , she thought in her sarcastic mind. The only good thing about her was her eyes. While they were red like all Dunmer, hers weren’t as tilted as others. They were shaped more like human eyes. _Well, I like them anyway._ It was the only feature she liked about herself.

“I know, _alma_. I’m sorry. I will be over there first thing in the morning,” she sighed.

She loved her _alma_ , but she was an adult now at thirty-six Winters with no place of her own, and no one interested in marrying her, not that she had any such interest in marrying anyway, and had a long life still ahead of her. But she would love to be on her own, or exploring the world. She dreamed of exploring unknown lands with her sketchbook and charcoal, drawing all the creatures and people, delving into ruins—to be anywhere but in the frigid city of Windhelm. She might have liked it more if the people there didn’t hate her kind so much. But it was so depressing, and everyone was utterly miserable. Instead, she was stuck cleaning houses and helping to bring in money for her mother, who used it to help their community. 

Anise walked to her room to get ready for bed. She sighed and took out her braid, combing out her long black hair, brushing her bangs aside. After she removed her clothes, she headed over to the bucket of questionable clean water and grabbed the rag to clean off the day’s grime from her body and face. The water was icy and sent shivers through her body. Putting on her shift, she headed back to her little table. 

She was fortunate enough to have a looking glass so she could fix herself up, though it had cracks in it. _Maybe it’s a curse to keep looking at my ugly self_ , she thought as she stared at her image. Her face was too round and soft. She would have almost looked like a Nord if she didn’t have dark skin and red eyes. Most Dunmer had long and sharp features, making her stand out among them. Tired of looking at herself and wishing she were prettier, she crawled in bed and curled up with her sketchbook. She drew caricature faces of Viola and Viola kissing a horker, which made her laugh and helped ease her stress from the day. She put away her book and fell asleep, dreaming of life outside of Windhelm. 

The next morning Anise went to her looking glass and braided her hair in her usual side-braid with wispy bangs. When she was satisfied she was still ugly, she headed out with the pot of food over to the clubhouse. The pot was heavy, and it wasn’t easy carrying it through the icy streets without dropping it or sloshing the stew everywhere. _Please don’t drop it, please don’t drop it_ , she repeated in her head as if her wishing could make it so.

When she reached New Gnisis Cornerclub, she opened the door with full hands, surprised she didn’t drop the pot. After getting there safely without spilling the stew once, she tripped over the threshold, almost losing the entire contents before someone steadied her. _That was too close! To think, I have an actual hero!_

She looked up to see who her savior was and noticed it was the handsome mer she had her eyes on. _Hello, hero,_ she thought wistfully, though her face and ears darkened in embarrassment at her clumsiness, which was nothing new. It was just in front of him— _because it’s not bad enough that I’m homely. Now I am a walking disaster in front of him. How endearing! How could he not want a piece of this?_ She inwardly groaned.

“Easy there, _muhrjul_.”

“I... uh... thanks.” _Did he just call me a ‘child?’ Ugh! Well, he certainly won’t be interested in a woman he sees as a kid. Isn’t that just fantastic?_ Her mood went from neutral to sour in mere moments it took to enter through the doorway.

She gave the pot of stew to Ambarys, and as she was heading out, she saw the handsome Dunmer with the tattoos on his face, his dark hair in a high-bun, and muscles rippling. _Why? He has no right to be that good looking. With my luck, I would get to find a short, fat, balding man to marry with the brain of a gourd._ She eyed him leaning against the wall talking to a beautiful Dunmer female with sleek black hair, sharp features, and perfect curves telling her a joke— _yeah, no competition there._

“So, this Dunmer man killed his wife after catching her, making love with another man. When the magistrate asked him why he killed her instead of her lover, the man replied, ‘I considered it better to kill one woman than a different man every week.’”* He guffawed at his own horrible joke while the woman laughed as if it was the funniest thing she had ever heard in her life.

Anise rolled her eyes. _OK, so he has a gourd for a brain, and lacks a sense of humor, but with that body and face… I wouldn’t have to listen to him. I would just stare at him all day, among other things._

The handsome Dunmer caught her staring and winked at her. She rushed out of there before she embarrassed herself further, feeling her face and ears burn as she blushed, and tripped over the threshold again. G _raceful, Anise!_

After her disastrous delivery, she rushed out and sought after Sofie. Sofie was the only Nord living in the Gray Quarter. The unfortunate thing was only ten Winters and had no parents, so she had to sell flowers to survive. Her father fought for the Stormcloaks, dying in battle, and Jarl Ulfric couldn’t be bothered with the little girl, apparently. _Casualties of the war, he would think_. She doubted Ulfric cared about anyone other than Ulfric. Anise made sure to visit the girl often to buy some flowers. She couldn’t afford much, but she tried when she could.

“Good morning, Sofie!”

“Hi, Anise... how... how are... you?” Sofie stuttered from the cold, teeth chattering. She tucked her blonde hair under a fur hood that had seen better days. _The poor girl will look like Viola before she’s 20 Winters._

Anise shrugged, “Another day in the Quarter. Nothing ever changes.”

“I... I know. I wish I wasn’t so alone and... and... cold all the time.”

Anise put her arm around the girl, feeling her pain, and did a light flame cloak to warm her up a little. She wasn’t very good with her spells, not having anyone to train her properly. She tried to be subtle about it, not wanting to be obvious about it. She was sure the Nords would take it as a threat against the girl, but it warmed the young her up, even for just a bit.

“You’re not alone, Sofie.”

“Thank you, Anise. You are always so nice.”

Anise touched the girl’s cold nose with a finger in play. “Oh, no! You are the sweet one. The nicest Nord I know! Here’s a Septim. I want some of your blue mountain flowers, if I may.”

“You don’t have to buy any, it’s fine. I know you don’t have a lot of money.”

“Nonsense. You need to eat too.”

“Thank you, Anise!” Sofie said and grabbed several blue mountain flowers she picked that morning, putting them throughout Anise’s braid. “Oh, you look so pretty, Anise!”

“Now you are just fibbing, but I forgive you and still adore you. Here’s an apple I stole over from the clubhouse. You eat it, but don’t tell anyone where it came from,” she said, winking at the girl.

Sofie’s eyes were wide in anticipation of eating the sweet and juicy apple. She shook her head, showing that she wouldn’t tell a soul.

Waving goodbye to Sofie, Anise made her way to the Windhelm Marketplace. She waved hello to Aval, who was selling meat from questionable locations. Everyone knew he stole most of what he sold, but the quality was so good that everyone looked the other way.

“How are you today, Aval?” Anise asked.

“Oh, I can’t complain, _ser_. I wish my siblings would quit working for the damned Nords, but they refuse to listen,” he complained, despite saying he wasn’t complaining. “What can I do for you?” 

Anise heard his arguments about his siblings for a long time now, but he always enjoyed rambling on about it. She gave him a polite smile, “Do you have any rabbit today?”

“I’m afraid not... I have some goat, chicken, and…” He bent down under his stall to check what else he had. “Ah, yes! I have some lovely venison as well.”

“I’m afraid we can’t afford your venison. I will take the goat, thank you.”

He leaned near Anise, looking around, making sure no one was near. His face was full of wrinkles, well over 275 years if he was a day. “Here, you take this bit of venison to your beautiful _alma_. Tell her it’s from Aval, and that I’m thinking about her.”

Anis hid her horror and disgust at the thought of old withered Aval and her _alma_ doing inappropriate things. She imagined her _alma_ as anything but celibate was downright terrifying. _Sheogorath, just take me now!_

“Uh, sure, thank you,” she said, having no intention of getting the two together.

“You are such a good girl, and so lovely with those flowers in your hair! Run along and don’t forget to tell your _alma_ what I told you.”

_Right, as if flattering me, will get you any closer to my_ alma. 

She nodded, getting a little tired of people treating her as if she were a child. _I’m_ _a damned adult! I’ve even had sex, for Azura’s sake!_

It was just another day in the Gray Quarter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading, commenting, and kudos! It keeps me trucking along, trying to get better at writing. It means everything!! <3
> 
> Next: Anise is forced to face Ulfric Stormcloak, the Jarl of Windhelm, for the first time.
> 
> * The Dunmer joke is not mine...I saw it online as I was searching for stupid jokes :)


	3. Political Intrigue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anise is forced into an uncomfortable situation with Ulfric by her own people. Meek and untrained, Anise manages to stop an Imperial assassination on Ulfric's life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading, commenting, and kudos! I hope you are liking my little story so far! <3

After dropping off the venison to her mother, Anise headed back out to go to Sandri’s Used Wares for a new sketchbook as hers was filling up. That was when she came across Malthyr and Brunwulf Free-Winter discussing the never-ending plight of the Dunmer people in the Gray Quarter. Anise rolled her eyes. Malthyr always tried to talk Brunwulf into convincing Ulfric about their living conditions. _Ulfric knows, he just doesn’t care_. It was the same discussions and arguments, and nothing ever changed. In her eyes, the best thing to do was to leave the Gray Quarter to make a new life.

“You’re a war hero, Brunwulf. Ulfric will listen to you,” Malthyr said.

“It’s not that simple. Ulfric wants a Skyrim for the Nords. He doesn’t trust what he calls outsiders.”

“You’ve seen how we live... cramped alleys, run-down buildings, no guard patrols. Even the name ‘Gray Quarter’ is an insult.”

“I’ll speak to Ulfric soon, but I make no promises that I can change his mind.”

“That’s all I ask. With your help, we can make a better life for ourselves here. For that, I thank you.”

As Brunwulf walked away, Malthyr saw Anise walking by. 

“Anise! Good to see you, girl. Here, I need you to do something for me,” Malthyr said, handing her a rolled-up parchment.

“Good day, Malthyr. What’s this?”

“I need you to deliver this letter to Jorleif, Ulfric’s Steward. If he reads what we are going through, he will see for himself. Brunwulf is a good man, but I have my doubts he will be persistent enough.”

“Malthyr, Ulfric doesn’t care. You understand this. And it would help if we actually tried harder to work with the Nords.” She understood her people were struggling, and it was hard to assimilate with the Nords when those very people hated them. The Dunmer stayed secluded because of it, but if they wanted a better life, they had to work harder and suck it up. Anise believed in letting the Nords see them in a different light. 

“Dear, you are still so young and naïve. The Nords don’t care how much we work together with them. We could fight in their war, and they would still shun us and hate us.”

“I’m not that young... I understand enough about what is going on! And you know we Dunmer weren’t much better to the Argonians. I am forced to work with a Nord woman and deal with her verbal abuse almost every day, and I still do it to make sure my mother and I have food on the table. And if you think I’m going to carry that letter to Ulfric’s Steward by myself, you have another thing coming. He would jail me for the impertinence. I’m sorry, Malthyr, but if you want that letter delivered, you need to do it yourself.” Done with her lecture, she stormed off, flustered at the stubborn man when he called out to her.

“I will pay you,” he said, knowing the coin would get her to do it. Malthyr knew how hard she worked for it, wanting to get out of the city.

_Seriously, he’s going to pull that one?_ She saved some gold she kept from her mother so she could leave one day to explore the lands and make a better life for herself. Anise had no intention of staying in the Gray Quarter for the rest of her life. The coin to deliver the letter would add to her savings.

She inwardly groaned, knowing she was going to regret it. She had to ask. “How much are we talking?”

“10 Septim.”

“15,” she countered.

“12,” he said, continuing with their negotiations.

“13.”

“By Azura, you are a damned thief, Anise! Fine!”

“Fine. Give me the letter.” 

Anise hurried off to deliver the letter with confidence, ready to get it over with, but the closer she got to the Palace of Kings, the slower her pace became. _What am I thinking? Will they even let in a Dunmer? By Azura, what if they jail me just for delivering a letter!_

With shaking and sweaty hands, she pushed the massive doors open. There were two guards by the door, but neither seemed even to care she was entering the very halls of Ulfric, the Jarl of Windhelm, himself—the man who hated Dark Elves. 

When Anise entered the throne room, she recognized Jorleif, Ulfric’s Steward, and headed his way, struggling to control her nerves, and eyed Ulfric warily. She could hear Ulfric give an emboldened speech in his baritone voice and Nord accent. His words were methodical and concise as he spoke to Galmar Stone-Fist, his Housecarl, about why he fights for the Nords. 

“—in my arms, dying on foreign soil. I fight for their wives and children, whose names I heard whispered in their last breaths. I fight for the few who came home, only to find our country full of strangers wearing familiar faces. I fight for my people impoverished to pay the debts of an Empire too weak to rule them, yet brands them, criminals, for wanting to rule themselves! I fight so that all the fighting I’ve already done hasn't been for nothing. I fight... because I must.”

_Yet you do not fight for anyone else who lives in your lands, which is why we do not fight for you_ , she thought. She had to admit, while she loathed the man, he knew how to give a motivational speech, though he was full of horker shit. As she got closer to Jorleif, she tried to make herself as small as possible, shying away from the large and imposing Jarl. The more she heard Ulfric speak, the more nervous she became. _Breathe, Anise. Just breathe._

Of course, typical Anise tripped over the corner of a beautifully woven rug, and she fell sprawling none too gracefully on her face, letter flying out of her hand and drawing the attention of every single person in the throne room, including Ulfric. _Well, that could have gone better._

She stood on shaking legs and brushed her skirts as if there was dirt on them to hide her embarrassment, flushing darkly. 

“Only the foolish or the courageous approach a Jarl without summons, and you don’t seem courageous. Do I know you?” Ulfric asked, looking right at Anise, who did everything in her power to keep from urinating right there on the floor, wishing she had used the privy before she arrived.

Ulfric sat on his throne, his robes covered in beautiful fur, looking bored, but Anise knew better. That bored appearance on the outside couldn’t hide his intelligent eyes as he scrutinized the Dark Elf before him, who interrupted his impassioned speech.

Her mouth opened and closed, but nothing came out, too frightened and embarrassed at that moment to respond.

“Speak now!” Ulfric yelled at her.

She yelped and clumsily curtsied before she finally squeaked out her purpose for being there. She looked around in a panic, trying to find the letter she dropped. On hands and knees, looking at the floor, she grabbed the letter and held it out for someone to take. “I... I’m sorry... m... my lord. I was just asked to... to deliver this... le... letter to your Steward.”

“If you are to address me, you will do so looking at my face, girl... standing!”

Anise quickly stood and looked up, trying to hide her fear, bowing again.

Ulfric eyed the gray-skinned girl with her pretty and intelligent red eyes. She was tall for a gray-skin and clearly out of her element. “What would a gray-skinned girl possibly want with my Steward?” he asked.

Though his face did not give away much, there was a hardness in his eyes and full of suspicion.

He watched her eyes go from wide in fear, then narrowing in anger in mere seconds, ready to lash out at him. _Oh, there is a fire in that one_ , he mused.

Anise wanted to give Ulfric, the Jarl of Windhelm, a verbal tongue lashing about him using such derogatory words about her and her people, but she enjoyed living, so closed her mouth. Though while she tried to still her anger, she was sure her irritation was evident on her face.

“Why would your people send you and not say, your father?” Ulfric asked.

“I... I am uncertain, my lord. I, uhm, do not have a father. They chose me because, apparently, I’m an idiot.” She did her best to look at him, but it was impossible with his unwavering scrutiny as if his piercing blue eyes bore into her soul.

He almost laughed at her self-depreciation as she assessed her situation correctly, but he kept it in check and demanded she approached him. “Come here, girl, and show me this letter,” Ulfric demanded.

Anise handed the Jarl the letter from Malthyr with shaky hands. _By Azura, why did I fall?! Better question; why did I take this n’chow job?!_ Once he took the letter, he opened it with deliberation to read about the Dunmer plight in his city. She got the impression everything he did had a purpose, or he made it look that way. His face gave nothing away while he handed the letter over to Jorleif, who also read it.

Ulfric turned to look back at the girl. “What’s your name, girl.”

“Anise, my lord.”

“Anise... are you part of this unrest that is planned in my city?”

She looked back at him, wide-eyed, panicking. _What did Malthyr get me into, that_ n’wah! _He said the letter was to ask for help, not threaten! I should have demanded 100 Septim for this!_

“S... s... sir? No... no. I know nothing about an unrest. I... I just delivered the letter for a job, that is all. I didn’t even read it! I... I swear!” Tears welled up in her eyes from anger at Malthyr for putting her in this situation. _Sheogorath, take Malthyr! Ulfric is going to jail me and possibly torture me!_

“Your friend has given me an ultimatum, it appears—help the Gray Quarter, or there will be an uprising. Blasted dark-skins! I don’t suppose we could tell them I presently have larger concerns? Such as all of Skyrim?” he asked Jorleif.

Jorleif then spoke up. “They don’t seem to be sympathetic to our cause, sir.”

“Keep your eyes and ears open, Jorleif.”

“Yes, sir.”

Ulfric looked back at the girl. “Do you people even care what goes on in Skyrim?”

Anise did everything in her power to keep from retching out of fear. She was the last person who needed to be discussing war and politics with the Jarl himself. All her views were unpopular with her own people, let alone the Nords, but she had no choice but to answer him, deciding just to be honest. She had a feeling he could tell if she lied.

“My lord, please, we care. Many are just afraid. I told my people that we need to work harder with the Nords as this is our home now too, but it is hard for them knowing the Nords hate us so. Because of that, they keep themselves secluded. I have to admit, the Nords I work under can be very... cruel, but I keep working hard and doing my best to save money to make a better life for me in Skyrim.”

Ulfric nodded at her thoughtfully. “Interesting. You seem to be unique among your people. Would you consider joining our cause? It would look good to have a Dunmer fighting alongside the Nords and may help Nords see your people differently. Do you want to make a better life? Being a soldier will get you out of your squalor.”

_You’re the one stirring up the racism pot,_ s’wit _. What’s this working together, horker shit? The whole idea of her being a soldier in a war terrified her._

She looked at Ulfric in horror. “Wh... With all due respect, sir. I’m a walking disaster, let alone a soldier. I would cut my foot off just by walking before killing an enemy. I would be quite useless.” Anise hoped that would be enough to sway the Jarl out of the foolish notion she could fight.

Galmar and Jorleif chuckled, having already witnessed her entry into the palace.

Anise looked up to see how Ulfric took her rejection. There was no smile or anger, though she may have caught a humorous twinkle in his eyes.

“You make your case. Fine. You tell your people that if they join the fight, they will receive coin and food as soldiers. I will do no more. They must make do with what they have or make their own lives better through hard work. And if there is a hint of an uprising, I will put it down at once. Do you understand, girl?”

Anis nodded her head like a fool.

“You may go.” And with a wave of his hand, he dismissed her.

She couldn’t have run out of there faster. _I’m going to kill Malthyr!_ She was so distracted as she ran and nearly crashed into one of the Stormcloak soldiers. “Pa... pardon…” she squeaked out, looking up into his eyes to see if he forgave her or wanted to kill her, but his focus was solely on Ulfric. She watched the strange man walk towards the throne with a dagger hidden behind his back.

_Sure, always ignore the gray-skinned girl,_ she complained in her head _,_ but something was off with the man as she watched him. In seconds, he pulled out the dagger from behind his back, walking with purpose towards Ulfric, who was busy once again discussing tactics with his Housecarl.

_No, something is wrong_. Anise pulled out her dagger she kept hidden in her boot. She always kept one on her and practiced every day with it since the murders started. She didn’t know how to fight with one, but she knew how to throw them. Or if someone were to attack her, she could just stab them. 

Anise’s thoughts tugged and pulled back and forth, deciding what to do, but there was no more time. The man seemed to have intentions of killing Ulfric. There was no other purpose for the soldier to walk up with a dagger drawn, but hidden away. She had to take the risk.

“My lord! Watch out!” Anise yelled, taking her dagger and threw it at the man.

At the same time, the soldier yelled out, blade ready. “Die in the name of the Empire, Stormcloak scum!” If the soldier had any intention of saying anything else, he didn’t have a chance as Anise’s dagger landed in his back. It didn’t kill the man, but it stopped him in his tracks.

Out of nowhere, soldiers surrounded her, ready to haul her off to the dungeon for attempting to kill Ulfric and a Stormcloak soldier. She screamed and tried to pull away, but they were too strong. “No! He was the one! He was the one! He was trying to kill the Jarl! I tried to stop him! Please, believe me!” she yelled, her voice echoing in the enormous throne room.

“STOP!” Ulfric yelled, and everyone froze, including Anise. “Let her go now. I saw what happened. I heard her warn me. She... she saved my life.” Now that he said the words, he was more shocked she saved him than the attempt on his life, which wasn’t a surprise. With him gone, the war would end.

The soldiers didn’t let her go, but they loosened their grip, not believing a dark-skin would save their Jarl. She yanked her arms free and glared at them as if that would scare them. _You tell them, Anise, with your evil eye. That will show them,_ she scolded herself.

“You saved my life, and you did not have to. I have to admit, I am... surprised,” Ulfric said, though his face still conveyed nothing.

“I... well, it was the right thing to do. I saw what he had and felt I should stop him. I wouldn’t have even noticed had my clumsiness almost crashed into him,” she shrugged, not sure if she should regret her actions or be proud. If he were dead, maybe there would be less hate for her people.

“It appears I owe you. I am not comfortable having a stranger saved my life with nothing in return. What would you have me do in return? Gold? A house?”

_Gold for me to leave and a new house for_ alma _would be lovely. I could finally go on my adventures, and my_ alma _could have a decent life._ But Anise knew what her _alma_ would say and want. _B’vehk!_ “I ask nothing for myself. It was the right thing to do, but if you could please just help my people, even a little would mean so much. My _alma_ , mother, and I help feed our people, and we barely scrape by as it is. So food and necessities would go a long way. It may help bridge the gap between our two peoples.”

Ulfric looked at the young woman. He was calm on the outside, though shocked on the inside. It surprised him she asked for nothing for herself, only for her people. He only saw selfishness and laziness in dark skins. _Am I wrong about her people, or is she unique among them? For her to save my life and then try to save her own people_. “Maybe you should have my job. You seem to be made for politics,” he said in jest, though his tone was harsh.

Everyone gasped at the very idea as she laughed nervously. “I am clearly not a leader, my lord.”

“Indeed. Very well. I will have my guard send over rations and necessities. Make a list and give it to my Steward to make the necessary arrangements.” He was about to wave her away, but stopped himself, contemplating as he looked at her. “I hope your people are grateful for what you have done for them today.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: All alone and on the run.


	4. On the Run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anise finds herself backstabbed by her own people sending her to Ulfric with threats of an uprising and stumbled into a guard who she was forced to kill. She is forced to flee Windhelm and Skyrim for no one would believe a Dunmer killed in self-defense.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading, commenting and kudos! It means so much!! <3

Anise fled from the palace, trying not to slip on the ice. When she found a quiet corner outside, she relieved her body of that morning’s breakfast. _I need to make a note that if I ever have to talk to Ulfric again, I will first empty my bowels and starve myself._

After her nervous stomach emptied itself, she went in search of Malthyr. _I’m going to kill him! How dare he put me in a position like that!_ She stormed over to the Cornerclub, hands in fists, face burning in a fury.

She burst through the doors and saw Malthyr there, sweeping the floors. She was fuming as everyone turned to look at the girl with eyes on fire, and not because they were red.

“YOU!” she screamed at him, ready to deck him. “How dare you put me through that situation!”

Malthyr put down his broom as if he didn’t have a care in the world, folded his arms, and let her lash out at him.

“Oh no, it couldn’t have just been Jorleif, but Ulfric demanded to know why I was there and took the letter from me. Do you have _any_ idea how humiliating that was! The bastard tried to conscript me into his army, thinking it would be suitable for ‘relations,’ you damned s’wit! To make matters worse, some damned spy infiltrated his army and tried to kill him right in front of me, forcing me to defend Ulfric... ULFRIC! Our enemy?”

Malthyr scoffed at her. “Are you seriously telling me you stopped an assassination? Stop your stupid lies, girl. Look, Anise. I realize it’s hard for a young girl with no father to understand, but we have to do something. We can’t just sit here and hope for the best, or have dreams of another life where everyone accepts us, and butterflies follow us wherever we go,” he said with contempt.

“Fuck you, Malthyr. You used me! Admit it! Why? You don’t like me? My alma dismissed your advances or something? You’re a coward!”

“I’m sorry, Anise, but you just aren’t one of us. You just don’t get it as you put thoughts, hopes, and wishes that are completely unattainable into our people’s heads. Your naivety is dangerous.”

Anise’s eyes filled with tears. After everything she and her mother did to help their people; this is what she got? “No, your aggressive tactics and threatening the Jarl is dangerous! No wonder the Nords hate us, you bitter _s’wit_! If they gave to you, you would spit on them as you are spitting on me. After everything my mother and I have done for this community. I saved the Jarl today and convinced him to help us. He is sending food and supplies, but you don’t deserve their help.” Everyone in the Cornerclub gasped at her.

She got into Malthyr’s face, jabbing a finger in his chest. “Get off your ass and improve your life, _s’wit_! I’m done helping you. Oh, and you owe me 13 Septim. NOW!”

He handed her the money he owed her with reluctance. When she turned around to leave, she could see all the Dunmer staring at her, either in shock or disdain, including the handsome one. She shook her head at their ignorance and stormed out. B’vehk! _After everything I just did for them, and they still aren’t happy._

Anise wept as ran home as fast as she could without slipping on the ice. She eyed every dark corner in case some deranged killer decided she was going to be his next victim. Because she was so busy looking around for killers, vision blurred from tears, she tripped over a loose stone in the street, crashing right into a Windhelm guard. 

_What’s he doing here? Guards never came through the Gray Quarter. By Azura, Ulfric_ now _sends guards because of Malthyr’s letter. Asshole! Or was it because of what I did today to help my people? Who can tell with that reticent man!_

He gripped her arm and pushed her back as she fell into him. His eyes were full of hate and anger, yet he had a smile on his face. _Hello, Mr. Sinister._

“Hello, _Princess_. Where are you off too so quickly?” 

She tried to pull away, but he held fast, gripping her arm tighter.

“Let go, you’re hurting me!” she yelled.

“I believe I asked you a question, dark-skin.”

“I... I’m just heading home. Please, my _alma_ is expecting me.” Anise’s voice came out higher than she had intended, making her sound as afraid as she felt.

“Why are you so afraid of me?” He continued to smirk at her, knowing exactly why she was afraid of him.

“I... I’m not... I just... you’re hurting me. Please let me go home.”

He shoved her against the stone wall and grasped her throat. “I’m here to make sure you never stop another assassination attempt against Ulfric Stormcloak, bitch. The Empire is struggling to maintain order in this forsaken country, but Ulfric has taken upon himself to create chaos. You disrupted our plans, and you will pay for it.”

Anise, already upset, started weeping harder from her fear of the guard, knowing he wasn’t there with good intentions. He appeared to be another assassin who had infiltrated the Stormcloak ranks. He still had her in a chokehold and grabbed her other arm with his other hand, pulling her closer to him.

“I have to admit, you aren’t the prettiest thing I have ever seen, but you’re prettier than your other dark-skinned women. Since you’re going to die anyway, I might have some fun with you.” The guard pulled up her skirts to feel in between her legs as she struggled from his grasp.

“No, please... I’m expected!” She cried out as he moved in closer to her. She suddenly kneed him between the legs so fast, he wasn’t expecting it, causing him to double over in pain. 

“Dark-skinned bitch!” he yelled out, grasping his balls, coughing, at the same time backhanded her face causing her to fall to the ground, bleeding from the nose. 

She cried out, and as soon as she fell, he pushed aside his pain and scrambled on top of her, pushing up her skirts as she tried to fight him off. 

“Help! Help!” she screamed out, despite knowing no one would come to her aid against one of Ulfric’s soldiers, even though he really wasn’t one.

“Scream all you want, darky. No one will help you. Your people won’t lift a finger out of fear, and no Nord will care. You’re all mine to do with as I please.”

“If you want Ulfric dead, then why do you hate us? I thought only Nords hated us! Please stop! I beg you!” _Begging is not underneath me, especially now!_

“I am a Nord, you idiot! Not all Nords agree with Ulfric! Now this will go much better for you if you hold still!”

Anise was having none of it, tired of being pushed around by these fucking people and her own. Her mind was running on instinct as she shoved him off to grab her dagger out of her boot, a blade she had for this very purpose. She jumped on top of the guard, angry with tears in her eyes, blurring her vision. She stabbed him in his throat repeatedly with two hands, the only visible part of his body through his armor as he spewed blood all over her, not realizing she cut his jugular.

When the adrenaline wore off, she looked down at the dead guard in shock. she looked down at her hands and body covered in his blood and shaking, and sheathed her dagger, pushing herself off of him.

_By Azura, what have I done? They are going to kill me! Yes; he was not one of Ulfric’s, but no one would believe me despite what happened today. Even Ulfric had a hard time getting his guards to let me go earlier._

Anise cried again, as she got up and ran home, slipping on the ice several times, but stayed upright. Once inside, she slammed the door, sobbing.

“Anise, is that you, _yi daelha_? How was your day?”

When she didn’t respond, her mother went to the door to see her daughter on the floor, her back to the door sobbing and covered in blood. 

“Anise... wha... what happened? Why are you covered in blood? Did someone hurt you?”

Anise looked up at her mother’s horrified face, pleading for some kind of help. She didn’t want to die. “I... I don’t want to die, _alma_! Help me!”

Her mother kneeled in front of her daughter, almost afraid to touch her. “Please tell me, daughter. What happened?”

“Damned Malthyr tricked me into delivering a threatening letter to Ulfric, and it was horrible. Malthyr said I wasn’t one of them, a true Dunmer. I ran away crying when a guard... oh, _alma... he’s_ dead. Killed. I... he tried to attack me, and I was so afraid. He wanted to hurt me... because Ulfric... he... he hit me! I don’t know... something just snapped in me... I... I stabbed him! He’s dead! Help me, _alma_! Please! They will kill me!” Anise rambled, sobbing, hardly able to breathe.

Anise’s mother grasped her daughter by the shoulders and looked at her with determination in her eyes. 

“Here is what we will do, _yi daelha_. You will clean up this blood, throw your clothes on the fire to burn, and change into new ones. Then you will pack while I will give you all the money I have and grab you some food. Then you are to sneak aboard the next ship out to Solstheim—” 

“No, _alma_! I won’t leave you! Come with me! They will hurt you!” Anise was not only afraid for her own life but worried Ulfric’s men would also take her mother and kill her.

“They won’t hurt me, girl. That is why you are to clean all the blood and burn your clothes, so they believe you just ran and escaped—never came home.”

“They won’t believe you! Ulfric will round you all up and put you in prison!”

“Oh, I promise you, I can be quite persuasive. Once you get to Solstheim, seek Teldryn Sero, a mercenary. He used to live here, and now he works as a spellsword. Hire him to protect you and keep you safe. Do you understand?”

Anise just nodded, tears spilling down her face and a feeling of vertigo in her stomach from fear for her life and that of her mother’s, but her mother’s confidence and strength coursed through her, giving her vitality as well.

“Good! Now, go!"

Anise ran to grab water and a rag to clean up any blood on the door and floors. When she finished, she poured the liquid into her bucket she used to relieve herself. As fast as she could, she stripped all her clothes, throwing them on the fire, and wiped the blood off of her body. After she changed into a new dress, she filled her pack with extra clothes, coins she saved, an old woolen blanket, her sketchbooks, and charcoal. When she finished, her mother handed her food and some mead, and a large bag of coins.

“This is everything I have, _yi daelha_. You will need it for your journey. Teldryn, when you find him, will help you from there on out. When you see him, I want you to give him this,” her mother explained, handing her a sealed letter.

“What is this letter? And I... I can’t take all your gold, _alma!_ You need it!”

“I have a few for food, but I will make more. I will take over your cleaning job too. Don’t you worry about me. I have lived for a long time. Only you matter, but I will be fine. Do _not_ read that letter, Anise. I repeat. Do _not_ read that letter. It is for Teldryn’s eyes only, and he will know if you read it. Do you understand me, girl? Promise me.”

Anise nodded and promised not to read the letter. She clutched her mother in a hug, afraid to let go, crying into her mother’s neck, wondering how her life turned upside down so fast. Her mother, gently but firmly, moved her daughter off of her. 

“There’s no more time! Go!”

Anise was crying but tried to wipe away her tears as she opened the door and peeked out to see if it was safe. It was late in the evening, and everyone was sleeping. She hoped there weren’t other guards patrolling the Gray Quarter—that it was only the one guard. _He may have been searching for me after killing the last guard, so there may not be others_. When she didn’t see anyone, she turned back to her mother and mouthed the words ‘I love you’ and fled out into the night, wondering if she would ever see her mother again.

Anise’s mother closed the door and fell to the ground, sobbing, knowing the likelihood of her seeing her daughter again wasn’t high. But she had to regain her composure in case people started asking questions soon. _They must not know I have been crying_. Wiping away her tears, she made sure she cleaned every speck of blood from the house, Anise’s clothes entirely burned, and no other evidence was lying around. Then she sat and waited for the inevitable, trying not to think about her daughter.

Anise’s combined fear of being found by the guards and the fear from the killer nearly crippled her, but she forced herself to move on to the docks, sticking to the shadows and avoiding anyone who might walk by. Most people were in bed by now, so there were not too many people walking around. When she heard two dock workers make their way up to the stone steps to the city, she ran and hid behind the large doors to the docks, praying to Azura that the killer wasn’t standing right next to her. _That’s all I need is to escape, only to get snuggled right up against the killer. I’m sure if I explained myself to him and told him my story, he would understand and chose not to eviscerate me. Right._

Once the coast was clear, she sneaked down the steps, careful not to slip on the ice until she reached the ships. Her mother told her the boat in the middle belonged to Gjalund Salt-Sage, who traveled back and forth from Windhelm to Solstheim. There was no one around the dock area as she snuck onboard the ship. She could see the Captain and two crew members sleeping on the deck as she crept down below to the cargo hold. 

While she had enough coin to pay the Captain, she didn’t know how long her money would last her, so she stowed away instead. Anise also didn’t know who she could trust. As she headed into the hold full of crates and barrels, she wedged herself in between them towards the stern. Confident, no one would find her hidden away, she pulled out her plaid woolen blanket, old and worn, but it brought her comfort as she curled up on her side and wept for leaving her mother behind and her unfortunate situation. 

As she drifted off to sleep, her tears subsided as she tried to spin this disaster as a positive. _Now, maybe, I can have a new start in life and get away from the Gray Quarter forever. I can explore, go on adventures, and sketch all the beautiful things I see._ But she knew it was at the expense of losing her mother. She planned to start a new life without insanity and return to visit her mother. What she was going through now was not on her list of good ideas.

It took two days to arrive in Solstheim. Anise was fortunate that they never discovered her, even with her trying not to retch from the back-and-forth swaying of the ship. She had never been on a boat, and she never wanted to be back on one again, wondering if she looked as green as she felt. _If I ever get on a ship again, it will be too soon. I don’t know how people do this nauseating work for a living._

Despite her desire to flee the boat, she didn’t disembark yet. Anise had to make sure the coast was clear, not wanting to get caught after everything she had already gone through. She waited until nightfall when she knew the crew would be asleep in their bedrolls on the deck.

Knowing nightfall wouldn’t be too far away, she opened her bag and rummaged for some food and mead, rationing it, not knowing when she would eat again. She found some crusty bread and cheese, which she tried to nibble on, though she was still feeling queasy, and washed it down with some mead. There wasn’t much food, and she knew she would have to find some more. To kill the time before disembarking the ship, she counted her coin and found she had 826 Septim, hoping it was enough to hire the mercenary and get some food, probably some proper attire as well. _I can’t very well survive as an adventurer in a dress. I can barely walk a straight line as it is._

She was careful not to shift around the crates and barrels as she wedged herself out. Her legs were stiff, and her stomach was still a bit upset from the trip. She stretched to work out all the kinks, then gathered everything, making sure she erased presence.

_Please don’t trip. Please don’t trip_ , she recited in her head. _You’ve come this far, Anise to ruin things now_. She finally walked on the docks as she breathed the salty air in relief, not realizing she was holding her breath. Anise was now free from getting caught by the Captain of the ship and walked straight into town. Her mother explained to her the main village in Solstheim was Raven Rock.

It was dark out, but she had enough light from the city to see it was almost a wasteland. But she knew it would be. It was in the path of the Red Mountain of Morrowind half the time, depending on which way the wind was blowing. The volcano never seemed to run out of hot ash. The people of Solstheim eked out a living here, primarily comprising Dunmer like herself, but others lived here as well.

“ _Go to the Retching Netch and ask for Teldryn Sero.“_ Anise could hear her _alma’s_ voice in her head. _What a disgusting name for a tavern_ , she thought as she headed towards the town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: Meeting Teldryn (awesome follower)


	5. The Spellsword

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anise meets Teldryn Sero, blade for hire, for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading, commenting and kudos! It means a lot!! <3

Anise walked around the dusty town, trying to find a person to ask where the Retching Netch was located. She came across a male Dunmer, mouth, and nose covered in a scarf who pointed at the strange round building protruding from the ground. The buildings of Raven Rock looked more like the skeletal remains of giant insects than buildings. She wondered how such a small structure could hold an entire inn and tavern. 

As she walked into the Retching Netch, it all became clear to her, seeing that all the buildings were underground. What better way to help keep the ash and dust out, and protected from the elements. She looked around in the doorway and could see some men sitting around on the upper terrace level. Two of them wore strange chitin armor, looking like insects themselves. But one of them had his face completely covered in a helm, goggles, and linen cowl. There was also an Orc, looking entirely too grumpy, not that she had ever seen a happy Orc.

Anise was nervous as she looked around, holding her pack tighter to her body as if someone would steal it just by looking at it. She was out of her element, feeling lost. The New Gnisis in the Gray Quarter wasn’t exactly full of savory characters, but this place was so alien and unfamiliar to her. Even their clothes and armor were different. She lived with her mother all her life, barely getting out of the Gray Quarter, not knowing what her people from Morrowind were like. She found herself frightened by her unknown world, even if most of the patrons were also Dunmer. 

_How can I be an adventurer if I’m going to be afraid of everything? Toughen up, Anise!_

She felt her heartbeat pound against her chest and palms sweat as she just stood there in the doorway, unsure of what to do. _Should I just talk to one of these men? Is one of them Teldryn? Of course, now I’m too frightened even to open my mouth._

“I might lend coin to people that need it, but I never lend to strangers. So shove off,” said a gruff voice next to her.

Anise squeaked in surprise, not seeing the Orc approach her from her right, glaring at her. His green and withered skin with chipped tusks made him look more menacing than most Orcs. All Anise wanted to do was curl up in a ball.

“I... I... no, I don’t need any loan, thank you,” she squeaked out as politely as she as possible, trying not to offend the man further, not that she offended him in the first place.

“Good, ‘cause you ain’t getting any,” the Orc huffed away. His Dunmer pet or bodyguard left with him as they sat down in the far corner.

“Leave the girl alone, Mogrul. You don’t need to be a _s’wit_ all the time,” said the man in the helm and goggles. His drawled voice was deliberate, each word carefully pronounced as if he had all the time in the world to speak. The man’s goggled eyes looked back over at her. “If you are looking for food and drink, you can go downstairs and talk to Geldis.”

Anise eyed the man with uncertainty but nodded her head in acknowledgment. She couldn’t get out of there fast enough and stumbled down the stairs, but at least kept her footing and didn’t fall on her face. Everyone in the place still turned to look at the racket she made from her stumbling. 

She approached the innkeeper behind a small bar and sat down, struggling not to blush at the stares, placing her pack onto her lap. She refused to let it go, afraid one of the unsavory characters of the place would steal it from her. She had little, but it was all she had.

The man behind the bar looked older and kind enough. The red eyes had a twinkle and gave the impression of good humor. His hair was an unusual red color, which seemed strange against his dark skin. Most of her people had black hair.

“Welcome to the Retchin’ Netch. I’m Geldis, and this is home to the finest sujamma that will ever grace your lips,” he said.

“Uhm, no, thank you, just some food, please... uhm, do you have any stew and bread?” she asked. “I would also like to rent a room for the night.”

“We have an ash yam stew with bits of rabbit in it. Sound good? And a room is 10 Septim a night. How long are you stayin’?”

“Yes, that is fine. Uhm, just for the one night for now.”

Anise took her water and bowl of stew with bread to a table in a far corner, away from everyone to eat in peace and hide her presence. 

_By Azura, I feel so strange here. This place is so different from home, and I don’t feel comfortable even among my own people. At least they are as indifferent to me as the people at home. It could be worse._

She put her feet up in the chair in front of her, knees raised and pulled out her sketchbook and charcoal to draw while she ate. The sketching helped calm her, and if she sketched out all the strange things about this place, perhaps they would eventually become familiar to her, thus more comfortable.

Anise sketched between bites of stew. It had a strange sweetness because of the yams, but the flavor wasn’t bad. At least the bread was soft, and she wasn’t starving. She was sketching Geldis while listening to his crazy stories, which put a smile on her face, putting her more at ease.

She heard a male Dunmer ask about the name of the Inn and why he called it the Retching Netch.

Geldis slammed his hand on the bar and laughed, making Anise jump at the sudden noise. “Now that is a story, let me tell ya! Yes, there’s actually a funny story behind the name, friend. A few years ago, I was walkin’ down by the docks, and I noticed a Dunmer staggerin’ along with a bottle of sujamma in hand. He was one of my patrons and liked to drink heavily, so I wasn’t exactly surprised.”

“That doesn’t sound so strange? Lots of folks here walkin’ around drunk,” said the male patron.

“Ah, but you see, this particular Dunmer was as naked as the day he was born and singin’ badly at the top of his lungs. As I’m watchin’ this spectacle, a netch floats over the Bulwark towards him. Drawn in by his ‘marvelous’ singin’ I s’pose. The man looks straight up at the netch... yells ‘have a drink’ and tosses the bottle, but it never hit the ground.”

The patron looked on skeptically. “I don’t know what is more unlikely, that the netch was into his singin’ or the Dunmer walkin’ around naked and singin’. Alright, I’ll bite... what did that netch do?”

“Well, the bottle broke on the netch, and it must have swallowed its contents because it started floating sorta tilted like.” Geldis leaned his body to the side, arms in imitation as if a drunken netch was a common occurrence. “Finally, it stopped and quivered. A few moments later, the foulest liquid to ever assail your nostrils spewed from its maw. I’ve seen plenty of drunks in my day, and I’ll tell you right now that netch was sick.”

“Oh, now I get it… The Retching Netch. Great Geldis, now I will have netch vomit on my brain every time I drink your swill.”

Anise chuckled under her breath at the unlikely story and kept sketching, her stew long gone. She finished several sketches of Geldis in all his animated movements while he was telling his story. She was so engrossed in her art; she didn’t hear the man come over and hover by her table.

Teldryn Sero leaned back in his chair, legs stretched out and crossed. His arms rested on his abdomen. He looked like a mer who didn’t have a care in the world. He made a relaxed image to fool those who didn’t know him. He was always ready and prepared for the unexpected. His long life had given him years of practicing the art of indifference and ease, which made people underestimate him. 

It was a slow night until he saw the Dunmer girl walk into the Retching Netch, dust and ash blowing in as soon as she opened the door. His intelligent eyes scanned her, analyzing everything she gave away about herself. 

_She’s not from here since I don’t recognize her and has this Gray Quarter look about her—a life of poverty and struggle. She has run away. In trouble? It is late at night, and most women would not walk into a Tavern alone. Long black braided hair on the side, bangs falling in her face, almost hiding her scared eyes. Her round face is unusual for a Dunmer. She has never left the Gray Quarter before. Hands dry and chapped from physical labor. Clothes worn, but well-kept. Eyes also have a unique shape for a Dunmer, making her plain features pretty. No, not plain but interesting. She looks different from most Dunmer, which her own people would not find attractive. She seems to have come here with a purpose, determination in the eyes hiding behind the fear. Black fingernails from charcoal. Artist?_

Teldryn knew most of the people from the Gray Quarter and didn’t recognize her. _She must be young or a recent refugee. She looks young._

He eyed Mogrul, who was always in a pissing contest with anyone in Raven Rock, approach the girl in order to intimidate her—showing her who’s the boss in town. Teldryn told the Orc to leave her alone and instructed the girl on where to get food. She was still afraid, but he could see the appreciation on her face.

As she walked away, he sensed she might look to hire someone. _Someone like me_. She didn’t seem like she had a lot of money, but he might give her a discount. Business had been slow lately, jobs scarce. Teldryn let her finish eating her meal before he approached her.

Teldryn leaned against a wall downstairs in the dining area, tucked in a corner as he watched her pull out her sketchbook and start drawing with her charcoal. He was curious about what she was sketching, not surprised she was doing so. He had already assessed she was probably an artist.

When the girl finished eating, Teldryn strolled over to her table to introduce himself and let her know he was for hire. I _t won’t be much money, but it’s better than sitting around here all day listening to the same jokes and the same complaints._ He came up behind her to sneak a peek at her sketches. _She is talented._ With little effort, the girl sketched several drawings of his friend Geldis in all his animations. The pictures looked just like the old mer. 

“You are quite talented,” he said in his charming version of his drawl. He knew, depending on how slowly he spoke, it could put some people at ease or make others feel intimidated. He was trying to put her at ease.

Anise looked up at the man who helped her earlier, his face was still hidden away behind goggles, helm, and scarf. “Thanks,” she muttered, pulling her sketchbook against her chest to hide her drawings, not knowing why this man was talking to her. She was not feeling entirely comfortable with not being able to see the man’s face and didn’t know if he was a Dunmer, a Nord... _Argonian? No, no tail. “_ What can I do for you?” she asked.

“Teldryn Sero, blade for hire. If you have the coin, I’m at your service,” he replied, giving her a slight head bow. “I’m the best swordsman in all Morrowind, and at your service... for the right price, that is.”

Anise didn’t explain to him right away that he was the very person she was looking for, since she couldn’t tell anything about him hiding his face like that. “You could be bloody Sheogorath here to drive me insane for all I know. I’m afraid strange men with covered faces don’t easily win my trust. Care to show me your face, stranger?”

He didn’t laugh, but there was humor in the voice. “I can promise you, I am not Sheogorath. I have a much nicer voice,” he said, smiling behind his helm. “Very well, I will uncover my face, _muhrjul.“_

She watched the man, now mer, pull down his scarf, exposing dark flesh with hints of a tattoo on his bottom lip and chin. _He’s clearly a Dunmer_ , she thought in relief. Removing his goggles showed bright red eyes with a hint of humor, typical of her people. They were full of experience and possible hardship, with a smattering of wrinkles showing he had been around a long time—possibly over 150 years or more. His tattoos spread on either side of his face in swirls. A dark brown mohawk burst forth on end, as if happy to get out of the bony helm. 

“I swear if one more person calls me a child... I’ve had sex, for Azura’s sake!” she grunted so no one else could hear, then giggled when she saw the strong-featured merc turn darker than he already was.

“Apologies,” he coughed, clearly uncomfortable, pulling his cowl away from his neck in embarrassment.

“Whatever. I’m an adult, and just because I’m not 400 years old doesn’t mean I’m still an ankle-biter. Please sit,” she said, waving a hand at the chair across from her.

Teldryn could see she was suddenly at ease as if she was with an old friend. “Fair enough, outlander,” he replied as he sat down with his mug of sujamma.

“Anise Heran. You may call me Anise. And you’re the reason I’m here, Teldryn Sero. My _alma_ sent me to find you. She said she knew you once—that you used to live in the Gray Quarter. She said to trust you and that you could help me.”

“Who’s your _alma_ , Anise?” _Why does that surname sound familiar?_

“Ridena,” she responded.

Teldryn shouldn’t have had that sip of sujamma as he started choking when he heard that name. It was a name he had not heard in a long time. 

“Ridena,” he whispered after recovering, suddenly lost in a flood of memories. “Now that is a name I have not heard in a long time.”

“Well, she said she knew you. You sound surprised.”

“I... I was just not expecting to hear about someone from my past from so long ago, is all. She... she’s an old friend I have not spoken to in a long while.”

He watched Anise dig in her pack and pull out a crumpled, sealed letter, handing it to him. Teldryn’s face conveyed nothing as he reached for the letter and opened it. It was two sheets of parchment long, and when he finished reading, the only thing that appeared on his stoic face was him closing his eyes for the briefest of moments. Memories hit him hard, but it was not anything he wanted to share with the young girl... _woman_ , he corrected himself.

_B’vehk_! He screamed in his head. It seemed he owed Ridena, and now she was calling upon him for payment. 

“Very well, _sera_. I am at your service,” Teldryn said, folding up the letter and placing it in his satchel, careful not to tear it. 

“Well, you aren’t going to tell me what all that was about? _Alma_ insisted I did not open it, and I didn’t, but that doesn’t mean I’m not full of curiosity, especially with that blank face you are struggling to maintain.”

“You are young, but you are quite the observant one, aren’t you? No, I cannot tell you what is in the letter, per your _alma’s_ request. Apologies.”

“I guess begging wouldn’t work then?”

He cocked a small. “It would not.”

She flipped a hand in his direction as if in dismissal. “Fine. No one seems to care that I’m dying on the inside. So, I can hire you, then? I’m not sure what I’m hiring you for since my _alma_ didn’t tell me. She told me only that I should find you for help.”

_She’s a sassy one. She may frighten easily and is clumsy, but her intelligence and wit will help keep her alive._ “I’m not sure you are hiring me exactly, though I could use the coin right about now—things have been slow,” he drawled. “Let’s just say, I am someone new to watch over you. I am to teach you to survive until you can live on your own.”

“Like a new parent? You have got to be kidding me. Oh no! I can take care of myself. I don’t need another parent, and I have one already. I have been saving my money to move out on my own and explore, so I don’t need another babysitter. Sorry, I wasted your time.”

He watched her pack up her sketchbook, charcoal, and down the rest of her water, ready to leave. Her mother would never forgive him if he let her go with no training or survival tactics. Anise could also just disappear, and he didn’t want to force her to stay against her will, so he chose his words carefully. 

“So you are good with a sword or a bow? How many spells do you know? At least here in Solstheim, there are Ash Spawns who grow out of the ash when you least expect it. They are tough to kill and shoot fireballs at you. I’m assuming you are good with wards? Then there are lurkers, nasty things—massive! They are full of poisonous, writhing tentacles that will give you a slow death unless you’re lucky enough to be instantly killed by their claws. What else is here?” he asked, looking lost in thought as he drummed fingers on his chin, making a list of all the vile creatures ready to kill people like Anise. “Ah, yes! There are ash hoppers, fire spriggans, werebears and werewolves, draugr of course... Oh! And those damned nasty Rieklings, goblins, ready to kill you with stabby things. Then there is—”

“Stop! OK, I get it! I’m a _n’chow_ ankle biter! You make it sound like I would die as soon as I leave your presence, oh mighty one.”

“I knew you were intelligent, realizing the greatness before you. And, yes, you very well could,” Teldryn responded, ignoring her eye roll.

Her arms crossed as she looked at him skeptically. “So, you’re willing to teach me? For free?”

Teldryn didn’t smile, but everything indicated as much in his eyes. “Yes, your mother would kill me herself, and she is not someone I wish to cross. I am at your service... for free. I’ve got swords, spells, and a few other tricks up my sleeve. You’ll find I’m full of surprises.”

“Oh, I bet you are... fine, but no more treating me like I’m a kid. I’m a grown woman. Got it!”

He bowed his head in response. “There will be no mention of children or ankle-biters in your presence, _sera_. Now that we have concluded our business, I think you should go to your room and get some rest. We will be up early in the morning to find you some armor, weapons, and proper protection against the elements of Solstheim.”

“How early are we talking?” she groaned.

“Goodnight, Anise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: We find out what is in the letter to Teldryn.


	6. Hard Truths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We find out the truth of the letter Anise gave to Teldryn. Teldryn wheels and deals to get Anise some proper armor and weapons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading, commenting and kudos! I appreciate them all!! <3

_The cold was bitter, stabbing her lungs as she ran. The fear coursed through her very soul as she fled from him. The streets were icy, and she kept falling down, slowing her progress, enabling the man to get closer to her. She could feel the warm tears spill down her face, turning cold as soon as they hit the air. Her lungs hurt from the frigid temperature and exertion as she mumbled under her breath, begging him to leave her alone._

_Her heart raced through the maze of stone and alleyways. Everywhere she turned, there was a dead-end which gave way to an alternative path. Not knowing where she was going, the familiar city became unrecognizable as she ran and ran._

_When she turned the next corner, she was face to face with the killer. She screamed, but no sound came out, trying to back away from the man who had no face. It was only blackness as if his face carried the very Void itself. She fell on her ass, scrambling backward, feet slipping on the ice…_

Anise woke with a start to banging on the door to her rented room. She stilled her heart with a hand as she wiped the tears from her face with the other. Looking around, she didn’t recognize where she was at first until clarity and memories arrived in her groggy mind. The banging refused to stop until she finally answered.

Groaning loudly in frustration, still exhausted, she got up to answer the door to stop the incessant banging. “What!” she growled when the door opened.

“Good morning, _hla miluth_.” Teldryn greeted her in such a cheerful manner that it only annoyed her further. It didn’t help that he kept calling her ‘little bird.’ It had a note of condescension to it.

“I’m taller than you,” she griped. “What do you want? Surely it’s not morning already. I’m fairly sure I just went to bed not too long ago.”

“I’m afraid it is,” he drawled, humor perpetually in his voice.

“I’m so happy you find me so humorous all the time.” 

After Teldryn came into the room, she crawled back into bed and pulled the blanket back over her head.

“No, you don’t. We have things to do,” he said, pulling the covers off of her. “ _Hla miluth_ gets the worm, dontcha know?”

“Was there a point anywhere in my mother’s letter that stated I had to be up before Mundus even appeared in the sky? If not, I would like to sleep a bit longer.”

“Mundus is shining right now, _hla miluth_. You can’t tell because you refuse to wake up. Come on. I have breakfast coming. It’s an omelet with leeks and cheese, and some Telvani Tea to wake you right up.”

Anise could hear her stomach growl at Teldryn’s food choice, then heard him chuckle at the sound, making her blush. “Clearly my stomach has other motives besides sleep. Fine, I will be there in a moment.”

When Teldryn left, she got up, but she wasn’t happy about it and changed from her shift to her dress, then rushed to the privy to relieve herself and then washed up.

As Anise got dressed and cleaned up, Teldryn went to sit down at a table to wait on their breakfast and tea. He spent the time reflecting on the night before and the letter from Anise’s _alma_ , Ridena. The mention of her name hit him hard, not realizing that he still missed her, even after all these years.

He pulled out her letter and reread it. Teldryn had already read it several times before bed, but he couldn’t keep it away. Had he known…

_My Dear Teldryn,_

Yi daelha _, I understand this will come as a surprise to hear from me, especially with me using those words, but I still think of you. After all these years, I never stopped loving you. I probably should have after the way you left, but I also understood your need to be free of the Gray Quarter. I hope you eventually realized why I couldn’t go with you._

_I told you that you would never hear from me again when you left. It wasn’t just out of anger, but to help me move on. Times have changed, and I require your help. You are the only one I can trust with this._

_It will come as a shock, and perhaps make you angry, but when you left, I soon found I was pregnant. Her name is Anise, who was a sweet and beautiful baby. She grew up to be an intelligent and talented young lady. I never sent a word to you because what would have been the point? I know you wouldn’t come running back to me, and I didn’t want you to think that I was trying to get you to do so. It was easier this way._

_But Anise needs you now. She is in trouble with the Nords. It is a long story, one of which I am sure she will tell you if you ask. I need you to protect her and watch over her. She is your_ julikal _. I beg of you. Please help her, guide her, teach her, help her to survive. It is a hard world out there, and she needs all the help she can get._

_She is a good girl, smart like you with your penchant for sarcasm and stubbornness, though she has my temper, unfortunately. You will like her, I think._

_I must ask one more favor from you. You must not tell Anise. Promise me. I am unsure how she will take it you are her_ ata _. I’m sure she will come to adore you, as I once did, but I never told her anything about her father. Please._

_Thank you for this,_

_Ridena_

_P.S. I never loved again. Not after you._

Teldryn folded up the letter once more and put it back in his bag. He never stopped loving Ridena either. He wasn’t sure why their loving each other wasn’t strong enough to keep them together. There was never another woman in his life after her. Soon he moved on and thought about her less and less, but this letter was a hard blow to his heart. Now he has a daughter. 

Ridena wasn’t wrong; he took an instant liking to Anise. The secret would be hard to keep, but he did not agree with her on this issue. He believed Anise should be told the truth, but he would internally promise Ridena. He would not tell the girl.

It was hard to hide all the emotions that bombarded his mind and heart when he read her letter last night and to find he had a _julikal_ all this time. Years of practice enabled him to control the emotions that would dare appear on his face, giving nothing away to the girl, though Anise noticed something was off.

_If she told me then, would have I returned? I don’t know. I would have at least sent Ridena money regularly,_ he reflected. It wasn’t like he was the type to get tied down, though Ridena almost managed it.

Teldryn saw Anise emerge from the privy, dressed and clean as he sipped his hot Telvani tea. He wasn’t sure where she got her rounder face or eyes from, as he and Ridena had the standard sharper features of the Dunmer— _perhaps some ancestor_. 

“Now I’m even more curious what was in my _alma’s_ letter to deserve such wonderful food,” she exclaimed, devouring the omelet before her as he ignored her hints at wanting to be told what Ridena wrote him.

When she finished eating, she drank her tea; the caffeine helping her wake up. “Thank you for breakfast. That was quite the treat. Rarely do I get to eat so well.” Anise dug in her bag and handed Teldryn a few coins for the food. If she didn’t have to pay him for protecting her, the least she could do was to help pay her own way. 

Teldryn handed the coins back to her. “No, it’s on me, _hla miluth_.”

“I think I should at least contribute to my own stomach,” she protested.

“Save your money. You will need it for the armor and weapons, though I doubt you have enough, so I will contribute to that as well. It’s fine. I... owe your _alma_ and I have plenty of money saved. I don’t exactly spend a lot of what I earn.”

“You must really owe her then. What did you do, get her pregnant, and run?”

Anise said it in jest, not realizing how close to the truth she came. Teldryn choked on his tea as she banged on his back. He made a note to himself that every time she opened her mouth, to not put anything in his. _She’s_ _going to make me choke to death at this rate_.

“Uh, no, but it is private,” he replied, which was not quite a lie and careful not to give anything away in his face.

“So, what’s the plan exactly, babysitter?”

“Look, you may find me easy going and want to walk all over me. I understand it, _hla miluth_. It is something I have honed for years into an art form, but I will not be trifled with either. If I am to train you and make sure you survive this cruel world, I expect you to listen. Is that understood?” he lectured as if he were her _ata_ , which he suddenly found himself to be. N’chow! _I sound like my own_ ata _! Where in Oblivion did that come from?_

Anise furrowed her brows in anger. “Look, I appreciate what you are doing for me, I guess. I like the food anyway, but as I told you before, I’m an adult. I, too, would like to be treated with respect. Everyone treats me like some kid, mostly filled with condescending remarks. Perhaps it’s because I look weird to them. I don’t know, but I’m tired of it!”

It was like arguing with himself. Ridena was not wrong that Anise was a lot like him, though with Ridena’s fiery temper. “I do not think less of you with your appearance, _hla miluth_. I find you quite pretty. Regardless, I’m not trying to treat you like a child. I’m going to try to keep you alive.”

That stopped her from continuing to argue. “You... you think I’m pretty?” she asked as she could feel the heat creep up to her face.

“Now don’t get any ideas that there will be something going on between us because there won’t. I was just stating a fact,” Teldryn drawled calmly, but he had to stop her in her tracks after seeing her blush, not wanting her to get the wrong idea. Now, if he could just work that foot out of his mouth.

Her face turned even darker than before from embarrassment that this mer thought she was interested in him. “I... I was just surprised, was all... there is no... interest!” Anise’s discomfort got the better of her as she quickly got up and ran upstairs and out to Raven Rock. It was that or cry angry tears in front of him.

It was an overcast morning with a haze of dust and ash in the sky, giving it a yellowish glow. The ash wasn’t blowing around, so people walked around without their mouths and eyes uncovered as Anise watched them all talking, working, shopping. The town was a small but lively place. 

She didn’t know what direction to go into or what she was even doing. All she knew was she wanted to get away from her source of embarrassment, and that was Teldryn. _I don’t want to be here. Why did I have to find him? I should have just walked straight to Skyrim and started adventuring._ If she were honest, she knew she wouldn’t survive out there without knowing how to protect herself.

Before she could go any further, Teldryn caught up to her and gently grabbed her arm. “Stop, please. I am sorry I embarrassed you, _hla miluth_. That was not my intention. I was just... setting boundaries for our arrangement.”

Anise couldn’t see his face as he had it covered once more in goggles and cowl. She yanked her arm back and stood there, wanting to be anywhere else. “Who’s embarrassed? I’m not embarrassed,” she insisted. “I... I just don’t want to be here. I miss my _alma_ and…” she couldn’t finish before she put her hands in her face and wept in the middle of town, unable to hold it back anymore.

Teldryn squirmed awkwardly, rubbing his cowled neck in discomfort. It had been a long time since he was around a weeping woman. Not since he left Ridena, let alone his own _julikal_. As her _ata_ , he should comfort her, but he didn’t know how to be an _ata_ and be one without her knowing. Last night was the first time he became one. _Sheogorath, take me_. He patted her back gently, not sure what else to do. “Uhm, I’m sorry. Come, let’s get you some gear.” 

Teldryn walked off to the blacksmith as she quickly followed behind, not knowing what else to do as she wiped her eyes.

They walked up to a man with a shaved head. He was tinkering away on his anvil; the metal glowing hot before he thrust it into the water with a loud sizzle, cooling it down instantly. 

The man had his back to them but sensed someone was there. “Either you’re here to get showered in sparks, or you’re looking for something to buy. Out with it,” he griped, clearly in a foul mood. _Or maybe he is always like this_ , Anise thought.

“Now is that any way to talk to a friend,” Teldryn drawled.

The blacksmith turned around to face the mer and scoffed. “Spare me... you’re only a friend for the right price.”

“Fair enough.”

“What’s it gonna be, Sero?” 

Teldryn waved a hand at the woman next to him. “Mallory, this is my... patron. I need to get her fitted for some proper armor and weapons.”

The Nord scoffed at him once more, doubting highly that the woman before him could hire the likes of Teldryn Sero, who came at a high rate. “That girl couldn’t rub two coins together, let alone afford you… or me, for that matter.”

“Well, she has some coin, but as to why I am helping her is my concern. Regardless, she still needs to get fitted for armor, and I need to find her a proper weapon.”

“This ‘girl’ already knows how to use a proper weapon,” she stated, thinking about the dagger that saved her life.

“You mean that rusty piece of junk you call a dagger tucked away in your boot? That is _not_ a proper weapon, _hla miluth_ ,” Teldryn retorted. “You need a bow and a sword.”

_How did he know I had a dagger?_ She wondered.

“It’s gonna cost you, Sero. I don’t come cheap; you know this.” 

“I am well aware of your outrageously inflated costs, Mallory. She has some coin, and I will cover the rest, unless... you have some work for me in exchange?”

Mallory debated on telling Sero to fuck off, knowing he was being lied to about this girl or whoever she was. But after some thought, money was money, and if Teldryn was willing to do him a favor, it might be worth it. “If you can do me a favor, I will get her fitted with some proper bonemold armor and weapons.”

“No heavy armor. The girl needs something light. Do you have netch leather? Can you make armor in that?”

“Are you trying to insult me, Sero?”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he drawled. “If you can make her some armor in netch leather, a light ebony sword, and bow, we will pay 700 Septim, and I will do your favor. And don’t tell me it’s not enough money. The job you are having me do is dangerous, and I’m expensive. Don’t deny it. It’s written all over that ugly mug of yours.”

Mallory agreed. “Deal. Go see Crescius Caerellius. That damned Imperial stole my pickaxe. And before you complain about me just making a new one, this isn’t just your run-of-the-mill pickaxe. I’m talking about an Ancient Nordic Pickaxe.”

Teldryn cocked an eye-brow at the Nord. “You want me to fetch your pickaxe? Surely you can just go there and get it.”

“I’m busy. Do you want armor for this girl or not? Plus, he’s holding the damn thing hostage. He wanted me to delve into the mines for him to get it back. Something about his great-grandfather, a discovery, and some ancient sword. Does it look like I’m some damned adventurer? I got things to do. Besides, he’s a crazy old man, and no one believes him. But it sounds like something right up your alley, Sero. You seem to like dark and creepy places.”

“Fine, you have a deal.”

Teldryn turned to Anise, who was wondering if they knew she was even there anymore. “Please stay here to get fitted for your armor, and then I would like you to head back to the Retching Netch, _hla miluth_ , while I go talk to Crescius. If I end up in the mines, I don’t want you following me. Dangerous places they are with giant spiders. There are rumors that there is more than a dead mine that closed its doors, keeping the people of Raven Rock from working.”

“Maybe I should come with you. I can help,” Anise suggested.

“Absolutely not. Your _alma_ would kill me if you died in there. Please, just get fitted, then wait for me... and don’t run off. I wasn’t lying when I said Solstheim is a dangerous place.”

“OK... well, be careful then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: The things Teldryn has to go through to get Anise her armor, and spell training.
> 
> Just a recap:
> 
> Julikal - daughter  
> Alma - mother  
> Ata - father  
> Hla miluth - Little bird


	7. Character Fan Art

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finished Anise, my protagonist...sorry, nothing to read :)


	8. Out of the Ruins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teldryn discovers there was more than just mines in the deep and he's pissed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading, commenting, and kudos! That makes it all worth it! <3

It was dusk when Teldryn came out of the Raven Rock Mine covered in dirt, spiderwebs and stunk like the undead. Every bone in his body hurt as he wiped the blood dripping from his nose where the _n’chow_ lich rose out of nowhere and blasted him against the stone crypts. His usual upright mohawk, askew, and fallen in places, and his sour mood was worse than how he looked. 

_I’m not sure who to kill first, Mallory or Crescius, the damned fetchers!_

With the Ancient Nordic Pickaxe in one hand and his Elven sword in the other, he walked straight to Glover Mallory with death in his red eyes. 

Glover, being an experienced thief in his past life, sensed danger as he quickly turned around, holding his smithing hammer high in self-defense. “Stop right there, Sero! I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Oh, but I want to hurt you. That old geezer, Crescius, is next. There is no amount of bargaining and discounts that are going to fix what I’ve gone through in those _n’chow_ mines only to discover an ancient crypt hidden away protected by more draugr I have ever seen, traps, and some ancient lich who almost killed me!”

“Hey, how the fuck was I supposed to know what was down there! I just sent you for my pickaxe, don’t blame me for Crescius’ obsession over his great-grandfather’s disappearance. No one believed the man. It’s not my fault you did and went in there.”

“Stop your lies. You knew which is why you never chased after your pickaxe!”

“I told you what the old man was up to. You made the choice to go down there.”

Teldryn, still furious, but Mallory wasn’t wrong, but he was going to get a better deal despite what they agreed on. “I will give you 350 Septim for the girl’s armor and weapons. No more gold after what I went through!” He tossed the ancient pickaxe on the ground and inched closer to the blacksmith. “Do we have a deal?” he said through gritted teeth, which were bright white against his dark flesh.

Mallory wasn’t intimidated easily, but Sero could take him out if he chose to. The whole armor and weapons were going to cost more to make than what he was earning, but at least he got his pickaxe back, which would bring him more coin than he ever dreamed. “Fine...deal.”

“Wise choice,” Teldryn drawled.

Teldryn then headed to Crescius’ house to kill the man. He didn’t care. He had to hurt someone, and since Mallory was still alive, it was the old man’s turn. He kicked the door in and saw the older man sitting with his wife eating dinner. The sight of the man’s wife gave Teldryn pause as he didn’t want to kill her husband in front of her.

“Ah! My friend! You have returned!” the old man greeted, his withered face in a broad smile, ignoring his bashed-in door. He looked at Teldryn’s belt, noticing a massive great-sword strapped to it, glowing red with magical energy. “Is that the Bloodskal Blade?”

The old man’s joviality also stopped Teldryn’s quest for blood. “I should kill you where you stand, old man. Do you have any idea what I have been through?”

“I can only imagine! By the looks of it, I would say whatever was down there was quite challenging, even for you, Sero. But you came back alive, and with evidence, I presume. I understand you are angry, but I have quite the reward saved up for anyone who brought me proof about my great-grandfather. The East Empire Company had the area locked tight and hidden away. My great-grandfather was aware something was down there of great interest to the Company. Then they shut down the mine, leaving many of us out of work.”

Teldryn softened at the word ‘reward.’ He pulled the great-sword out of his belt, then a journal out of his pack. A journal that appeared to have been written by the old man’s great-grandfather. 

“Let me see that!” Crescius said, holding out his withered hand.

Teldryn handed the old man the journal as he read through it. “Ha, I knew it! My great-grandfather’s death wasn’t because of a rockfall. It was just a story to keep people away from the tombs. Now that I have his journal in hand, I can get some closure from the East Empire Company. Make them pay for lying to everyone and putting us out of work.” 

The old man stood up, hunched over from years of mining, and shuffled over to a lockbox and pulled out a bag of coin, handing it to Teldryn. “I believe you will find that sufficient compensation for efforts and pain...1,000 Septim. You can count it if you like.”

Any residual anger blew out of Teldryn, knowing he was 1,000 Septim richer and got the necessary gear for Anise at half the cost. He still debated if delving into those ruins was worth it all, but it was over. Deflated, he left to check on Anise at The Retching Netch, hoping she was still there and didn’t flee. That would be the last thing he needed after the day he had.

When he left Crescius’ home, he greeted with a burst of applause from the townsfolk that surrounded the old man’s home. News quickly traveled that he delved into the mines to make a grand discovery. Now that he cleared the ruins out and the mines weren’t dead after all, they could reopen it, giving the people of Raven Rock jobs. It gave the people some hope of making their lives better in this desolate place.

Not knowing what to make of the sudden support of the people, he rushed to the inn while people patted his back as he fled. _I am a mercenary, not a n’chow_ _hero!_ He wasn’t used to this sort of attention, usually being ignored unless someone wanted to hire him, which was how he preferred it.

Anise sat in a corner, drinking tea and sketching the people of Raven Rock in various states of inebriation when Teldryn walked in, looking worse for wear. He was filthy, covered in spiderwebs and blood, looking none too happy. _Is he limping?_ As soon as he entered, there was a round of applause from the patrons. She watched the strange scene, seeing Teldryn’s discomfort at all the attention, his dark skin turning darker from embarrassment.

“I had no idea you wanted to be a savior!” Geldis teased, seeing Teldryn’s discomfort. “Do you any idea the money I’m going to make now with the mines reopening?”

Teldryn just grunted an acknowledgment. “Give me a sujamma... no, make that two. In fact, keep them coming.”

“It’s on the house, old friend!”

Teldryn ignored Geldis, looking around to find Anise, relieved she was still there. Concern was in her eyes, but he ignored it, grabbing his two bottles of sujamma. Teldryn yanked off his cowl, suddenly feeling hot, and chugged down his first bottle with full intentions of getting drunk.

“You don’t look so good, _kena_. Maybe you should just go bathe and then go to bed,” Anise said.

“I’m not your _n’chow_ master,” he grumbled while downing another bottle of sujamma, plopping down in the chair next to her.

“Not my master, but you are going to be my teacher, are you not? That is all I meant... no disrespect, really.”

“Why the sudden respect? Don’t tell me you are falling in line with these people thinking I’m some sort of _n’chow_ hero?”

“Azura forbid I would think such things of you... hero.” Anise winked and smiled at him, pleased to make him uncomfortable, which was a sort of payback for earlier that morning. But she was pleased he returned unharmed, at least not dead.

“Is this what I am to expect from you from now on, _hla miluth_? Verbal torments?” Teldryn was still irritable despite the two sujammas.

“Well, as long as you keep calling me ‘little’...” she said, shrugging her shoulds.

He called her ‘little bird’ because he wanted to call her something meaningful to him and hopefully to her without calling her his _julikal_ , his daughter. He thought it was kind of sweet and didn’t realize she viewed it as him condescending to her. “I mean no disrespect when I call you that.” Taking another long pull from his bottle, he got up to bathe before they could talk more about it. “I’m tired of stinking like draugr. Order me some dinner, would you?”

Anise watched him walk away to bathe, brows furrowed, wondering why he would, after only a day, take up to giving her an endearing pet name out of some sort of kindness. If he wasn’t trying to be condescending, then why bother? He didn’t even know her.

Teldryn returned thirty minutes later, looking refreshed and no longer bleeding. It was strange to see him in a beige tunic and dark brown cloth breeches. Anise was getting used to him in his armor, watching him sit down, scarfing his ash yam and rabbit stew.

“It’s going to take days to get the stink out of my armor,” he complained. Though clean and looking refreshed, his mood had not improved all that much. He didn’t understand why he was still irritable. He received a lot of coin and a massively discounted price on armor and weapons. The people were strangely pleased with him. He should be happy. He eyed over at Anise, he realized it wasn’t just because he had a horrible day, it was because he now had a _julikal_ to care for and he wasn’t able to tell her or to be an _ata_ for her as he should be. Besides the fact that his life was completely turned upside down with her arrival. He could no longer take any mercenary jobs if he had to take care of her and train her.

“Well, your armor is disgusting, anyway. You look like a giant insect,” she said.

“You don’t like my chitin armor? I will have you know it was specially crafted for me by Grendis Rolovo... one of the finest master armor smiths in Morrowind.”

“You are looking at me as if I should know who this person is. Sorry, but you still look like an insect despite how ‘masterful’ your armor is.”

“Well, you will look like one too soon enough. Your armor will also have goggles. We get ash storms here, and you will need to protect your precious eyes and lungs,” he explained.

“Oh, joy…” she huffed.

“Mallory won’t have your gear ready for a couple of more days. In the meantime, your training starts early in the morning.”

“What training if I have no gear or weapons?”

“Spells, of course. We will start with the basics and work our way up. You will be a proper spellsword by the time I am done with you.”

“Believe it or not, I’m excited about that. I have always wanted to learn more about my spells. I only know the basics, and no one could teach me. They were probably too afraid to use their spells in front of the Nords, who many are suspect of magic, especially from the Dunmer.”

“Yes, I don’t miss the suspicious Nord of Windhelm,” he said, finishing off a bottle of sujamma.

“I’m not so sure about weapons as I’m kind of a walking disaster. I’m sure as soon as I hold up a sword, it will fly out of my hands and unintentionally decapitate someone.” 

“Well, at least it would have served its purpose,” he chuckled at the visual. 

Anise reached out to Teldryn and gently touched his bruised face. Her hand glowed as his wounds and bruises vanished. “I practice my healing spell the most.”

Teldryn could have healed himself but chose not to, as his wounds and scars were a badge of honor. His scars were also a great selling tool when he sold his services as a mercenary. But this was a new side to his _julikal_ when she healed him with concern on her face. He saw Ridena just then with her kindness and wanting to help her people make their lives better despite them being bitter and ungrateful. Ridena never cared or needed their thanks. “Thanks, _hla miluth_ ,” he mumbled.

Anise sketched a bit longer while Teldryn finished his dinner and sujamma. He had a feeling she was drawing him as she looked over at him often, eyes peeping over her book, resting on her knees. He wanted to ask to see it, but couldn’t bring himself to, not sure what to expect or if she would even share it with him.

Anise sensed he wanted to view what she drew, but he refused to ask, so she turned around her sketchbook to show him. 

Teldryn leaned in and inspected her drawings, seeing his face looking back at him. He was expecting some caricature of him as he had seen her do before, but she took the time to capture his face without the humor. The sketch strokes were broad, but she captured him perfectly.

“You are quite good. Thank you for showing me.”

Anise just shrugged at him. “Welp, I’m tired and going to bed. Goodnight, _kena_ ,” she announced out of the blue, closing her sketchbook, tucking it away in her bag.

“Goodnight, _hla miluth_. See you bright and early for your training.”

Teldryn rolled out of bed the next morning, filled with aches and pains from the day before as he stretched, hearing joints crack. He wondered if he was getting too old for this line of work, then wondered if he was too old to be an _ata_. The more he thought about it, the more nervous he got, but he wouldn’t give up on the girl. He promised her _alma_. But that wasn’t the only reason. He liked the idea of having a daughter.

He sniffed his armor still airing out. Sweat and draugr assaulted his nose and decided to train Anise without wearing it, as it needed a bit longer to air out. He could take it to Mallory to clean, but yesterday still pissed him off.

Teldryn headed out to the tavern to order breakfast and tea when he saw Anise sitting at a table already eating breakfast. He sat down, seeing a plate of food and tea ready for him. 

“You’re up early, _hla miluth_ ,” he greeted.

“And you slept in, _kena_. For shame. What happened to the ‘ _hla miluth_ gets the worm, dontcha know?’” she mocked, using her best Teldryn voice.

“Harrumph, I didn’t see you fighting draugr yesterday.”

“You wouldn’t let me, remember?”

“Fair enough.”

“What are we going to learn first?” she asked.

“ _We_ will learn nothing. _You_ are going to learn some new spells. We Dunmer are talented at destruction magic, especially when using fire, which we are in tune with, so we will work on a flame spell, maybe the flame bolt.”

“Careful, I might set you on fire,” she quipped, though she was dead serious.

His eyes twinkled in humor. “Well, it’s a good thing I’m good at my ward spells.”

An hour later, they walked over to a beach area near water, and away from people. 

“Do you know any spells at all, besides your little healing spell?” he asked.

“I can do my flame cloak, but only for a little while. I can’t maintain it for very long. I also know the basic flame, ice, and lightning spells. Again, I can’t hold them for very long, nor are they powerful. I never got much of a chance to practice as the Nords see them as dangerous, which is one reason I work on my restoration spells the most.”

“At least you know the basics. I was wondering if your _alma_ taught you anything at all.”

“She taught me a little, but we were always both swamped working for money and then working to feed our people.”

“Don’t remind me,” Teldryn muttered. The memories of living in the Gray Quarter flooded him with frustration. It also upset him that Ridena never told him about Anise. He could have helped with coin.

“What…?”

“Nothing... doesn’t matter. Let’s see your flame spell.”

When Anise had flame floating on the top of her hand, he continued with his lessons. “Good. The best way to enhance your power and then teach you more complicated spells is to learn to breathe and focus. Try to clear your mind of all thought except your fire as you pull the Magicka inwards. You will learn to focus all your power in your hands and release stable magic as you consume more Magicka, creating reliable and longer-lasting spells.”

Anise nodded, trying to understand Teldryn’s instructions.

“When you are ready, I want you to fire the spell at me. And don’t worry. You won’t get past my ward, so I can take it.”

Anise nodded again, closing her eyes, and worked on slow breathing. It calmed her mind as she thought of fire and nothing else. She held her hand outwards, palm up as she felt the fire floating on her hand. It was warm, but it didn’t hurt. She felt her body absorb the Magicka as it filled within her and pushed it towards her hand and spell. She could feel the Magicka flow through her to her hands and fire spell strengthening. When she thought it was strong enough, she opened her eyes and aimed her hand at Teldryn’s ward, and shot the fire outward.

To her shock, she could see Teldryn flying backward into the sea, sputtering and coughing out water as he pulled his body back onto the sandy shore.

“Gods be damned! I said a flame spell, not a fireball! My ward was not ready for that kind of power! I’m not sure whether to be furious or amazed,” he said, still coughing as he laid down on his back, drenched.

Anise ran to him to see if he was OK. “I... I’m so sorry! I thought I was just shooting out only fire... I didn’t even know it was that strong. No one has taught me to shoot stronger spells before. Are you OK?”

“I’m fine, I think. I won’t be happy if you singed my hair, though.” He took stock of his body and sat up, running a tentative hand through his now flat and wet mohawk, relieved it was still intact. “You have some serious untapped power, _hla miluth_ , and we need to change tactics. I also need to make sure I use stronger ward spells.”

“That was pretty great, though, right?” Anise asked, knowing he was OK. It thrilled her she could learn such a complicated spell so fast. “You are a good _kena_ , Sero!”

Teldryn splashed water in her face playfully. “Yes, that was pretty great, _hla miluth_. Anyway, as much as I would like to take credit, that was all you. It seems you have more talent than just drawing.”

Once Teldryn adjusted his ward spells, he could work with Anise on several stronger spells, which she developed with surprising ease. They trained the entire day, and after dinner, both crawled into their respective beds and promptly passed out, exhausted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: Lies upon lies.


	9. Secrets and Lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teldryn celebrates Anise's Name Day for the first time. Anise discovers the truth about Teldryn and she's not happy being lied to by both parents.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading, commenting and kudos! Keeps me truckin'! <3

Teldryn and Anise were together for ten months, training and working on mercenary jobs here and there. The jobs weren’t too challenging since he didn’t want to risk his _julikal’s_ life, but it was enough so she could earn some gold of her own. It was also hard for him to give up the mercenary work, so he enjoyed it as well. Teldryn was a mercenary for so long; he couldn’t imagine another life. The few jobs kept him from getting bored, despite how entertaining his _julikal_ was, always keeping him in good humor or on his toes, though they did butt heads often. He adored her.

He also bought them a small house in Raven Rock. Teldryn wanted to be in the town as it was too dangerous to live outside of it, though many people tried only to end up getting killed. But he thought it would be good to give Anise a home instead of living out of the Retching Netch. Geldis was disappointed to lose his regular coin, but the innkeeper understood. Teldryn informed Geldis, his good friend, all about Anise and who she really was. He needed someone to talk to about this secret, trusting the innkeeper to keep his maw shut.

Anise grew quite attached to the older man, never wanting to leave his side, pleased he took her on jobs. It not only put her training to good use, but she got to be near him. She developed a small crush, but did nothing about it, unsure if she ever would. _It’s not as if he’s ever shown me any interest. He made it clear about his boundaries. But I’m starting not to care._

It was Anise’s name day a few days ago, but they were working on a job, so they didn’t have time to celebrate. Teldryn bought her a couple of gifts that morning and ordered a delightful meal with an expensive wine from the Retching Netch since he couldn’t cook at all. It was her first Name Day he got to experience since he had missed all her other ones, and he was excited about it. _Anise will be quite surprised, I think. I hope she likes it._

Once they set up the food in secret, he placed her wrapped gifts on the table and called her in. Anise was in her bedroom, sketching like she always was when he called out to her. “Anise, come here, _hla miluth_. I have something for you.”

After a moment, Anise came into the dining area, surprised at all the food laid out on the table with wrapped gifts. “What’s going on? What is all this?” she asked.

“Happy Name Day, _hla miluth_!” 

“That was days ago. I... I didn’t think you remembered. You asked what day it was once, but that was a long time ago,” she said, surprised he even remembered.

“I have the gift of an excellent memory.”

“I’m sure you do, old man,” she teased. “Really, this is very sweet of you to think of me.”

Teldryn almost let slip that he had missed all her other Name Days and didn’t want to miss anymore, but he caught himself. “It is my pleasure. Sit and open your gifts.”

Anise’s _alma_ made a special treat for her name days, but she never received a gift as her _alma_ couldn’t afford it. She opened the smaller package first, wrapped with linen and ribbon. She smiled at Teldryn as she opened it, excited and curious about what it was. Inside were two sketchbooks. She had sketchbooks already, but they were almost full. These were handmade with a delicate stitched pattern on the leather covers with her name stitched into them.

“Oh, _kena_ , these are beautiful! They must have cost a lot! I love them! Thank you so much! I cannot wait to use them!” she exclaimed, hugging the bound books tight to her chest.

“You are welcome, _hla miluth_.” Teldryn handed her another gift. This one softer and more delicate.

She opened her second gift, pulling out a beautiful and soft dress in blue and a lovely stitched pattern on the bodice. The sleeves and skirt were loose and flowing. “A dress? It is absolutely gorgeous, but where could I possibly wear such a thing in this ash waste of a desert?”

“You could wear it right now for dinner. You always complain about how you never get to wear anything nice, always being constricted by your armor. Well, now you can wear something lovely once in a while.”

Tears sprung into her eyes, but she choked them down. “You... you are so kind. I have never received such wonderful gifts in my life. I will put it on right now!” Anise ran to her room to change into her new dress. It was a perfect fit as she spun around, watching the skirt spread out and twirl. The fabric was so delicate, so much so, she wondered if this was what royalty was like.

Teldryn smiled, proud of himself for choosing the right things for her and that she loved them. He was happy to do something for his _julikal_. When she returned with the dress on, he quit smiling. She was so beautiful in it, and it made him even more proud she was his _julikal_ , surprised that men or mer were not interested in her, though he biased.

“What do you think?” she asked as she spun around, her now short hair tucked behind her ears, but her bangs fell, covering her eyes.

“I think you look beautiful in it.”

Anise smiled brightly at the compliment. She felt beautiful in it, which was a rare thing as she never felt that way about herself.

They sat down to eat dinner as he poured them both some wine. They clinked goblets in cheer as they sipped their drinks, digging into the delicious food. After they had their meal, he brought out dessert from the kitchen, a snowberry crostata, which was Anise’s favorite. 

When they finished dessert, they sipped more wine by the fireplace, talking. Teldryn had such a long life that he never ran out of stories to tell her while she laughed at some of his more colorful misadventures. 

“—and that damned crazy Nord ran out of there, completely naked, sword drawn and yelling as if he were in a full suit of armor!”

Anise laughed hysterically at Teldryn’s wonderful stories, always enjoying them.

“Well, it’s getting late. I guess we should go to bed now,” he said as he stood to give her a hug goodnight.

Anise held tight to him, head resting on his shoulder. “Thank you so much for a wonderful Name Day and my beautiful gifts. I can’t tell you how much it meant to me.”

“You are quite welcome, _hla miluth_.”

He tried to part from her, but she held on looking at him in the eyes, and leaned in to kiss him. It was probably from all the wine, but she got the nerve to do something about her desires finally. But Teldryn quickly pushed her away.

“No... stop. You know the rules.”

“Your rules are stupid. Why not? I’m an adult, and I have grown quite fond of you,” she responded as she leaned in, trying to kiss him one more time.

“Stop! I said, no! That is final.” Teldryn found himself in an awkward situation with his daughter and was struggling with how to handle it. He didn’t want to hurt her, but he couldn’t let her proceed further. Teldryn realized that he would have to hurt her to prevent her from ever trying again.

“I thought you found me beautiful. I don’t understand why you have this stupid rule!” Anise got angry, but it was in part because his rejection embarrassed her.

“You are, but... I am... not interested in you that way.” He cringed when he said those words to her, knowing it was going to hurt her and possibly damage their relationship. It may have been kinder to tell her the truth, but he kept his promise to her _alma_.

It pained him to watch his _julikal_ weep, knowing he hurt her, but he kept his face a mask of indifference. Teldryn wanted to be confident she tried nothing like that with him again.

“I... I see,” was all she could say as the tears spilled down her eyes. She was so humiliated. _I am so stupid to believe that he would ever be interested in me, or any man. He just lied to me about me being beautiful._

Teldryn watched Anise run to her room and slam the door. _N’chow!_ He yelled in his head. _That damned Ridena just had to put me in this situation to keep her secret from their own_ julikal _!_ He paced back and forth in front of the fire, debating on telling Anise the truth. It was killing him he hurt her, especially after such a beautiful time celebrating her Name Day. It was supposed to be a happy and special day, not one of hurt and grief.

He walked to her room and stood in front of her closed door, hand poised to knock, but thought better of it, deciding to keep the secret, and walked back to his own room.

Anise wasn’t able to sleep that night. She tried, but she tossed and turned. It didn’t help that her head hurt from all her crying. She had never been so humiliated in her life, even after all those times of falling and stumbling. She decided trying to sleep was a waste of time and walked to the kitchen to eat her leftover dessert. 

She was so embarrassed, debating on just leaving him and venturing out on her own. But she was angrier with herself than she was with him. It wasn’t his fault he wasn’t attracted to her. She shouldn’t have tried anything with him, and he was always clear about his rules and boundaries. He was her teacher and protector, nothing more. _I’m so damned stupid!_

She finished her dessert and wiped away the tears, deciding to deal with it, or more like, pretend she did nothing so stupid as to kiss him. As she walked past the front door, she saw Teldryn’s pack lying there on the floor, flap open. There was some paper peaking out. She inspected it, recognized her mother’s letter. Anise knew it was a private letter. She shouldn’t read it, but she pulled it out, anyway. She was always curious about what was in that letter, as he always kept it so close to him. _It must be valuable to him he kept it after all this time._

She held the letter in her hand; it looked old and worn. _He’s read this letter a lot._ That knowledge made her even more curious about what was in it. _If it was so secret, why didn’t he burn it?_ As she opened it, her heartbeat faster from nerves, knowing she wasn’t supposed to be looking at it, but it was there peeking out of his bag as if daring her to do so.

As Anise read the letter, her dark face drained of all color as tears spilled down her face. The truth of the letter hit her like a hammer to her head. All the evidence was there all along as she got to know him, but she never recognized it or maybe ignored it, wanting to see something different. The clarity and truth did not help matters, realizing this huge secret her parents intentionally kept from her. She was angrier with Teldryn for not telling her than at her mother for making him promise. _How can I trust him if he couldn’t trust me with the truth_? She didn’t care if her mother made him promise or not. It was the right thing to do.

Anise stormed to Teldryn’s bedroom, boiling over in anger, and banged his door wide open.

The loud noise startled Teldryn into action as he drew out his dagger from under his pillow, instantly awake.

“Explain this!” she screamed at him, throwing the letter to him on his bed.

Teldryn rubbed his neck nervously and looked at her sheepishly, knowing she finally discovered. _I should have burned that letter a long time ago. I should have known better._ He wondered if he kept it for a reason more than wanting to read Ridena’s words all the time. _Maybe deep down, I wanted her to discover it_.

“You’re a liar, Sero!” she yelled again.

He blew out a deep sigh. “You are right. I am a liar. I should have told you.”

His admission made it even worse as she stood there and wept angry tears. This man she had grown to trust and care about, turned out to be a liar and one she no longer trusted.

“Your _alma_ made me promise against my better judgment.”

“I don’t give a fuck! I don’t care if she said she would give you all of Nirn not to tell me! You should have told me! I... I made a fool of myself last night! How can I trust you after this?!”

“ _Hla miluth_ …”

“Don’t you dare! Don’t you dare call me that! I am not your _hla miluth_!”

Anise ran out of his room as if all of Nirn fell out from under her. All her erratic thoughts turned to a desperate need to get away from him. She ran, sobbing, to her room, slamming the door and locked it as she packed all her things. She was leaving this Gods’ forsaken island and going back to Skyrim. It wasn’t to see her _alma_ but to venture out on her own. She didn’t need anyone anymore. Teldryn taught her enough to survive and work as a mercenary. She would find work on her own. _Fuck him! Fuck my_ alma _!_

Teldryn ran after her, but she locked her door before he could reach her to explain his side of the story. He banged on it, hoping she would open the door, but knowing she would not. “Anise... please hear me out!” he yelled through the door.

“No! Fuck off! I don’t care what your reasons are! You should have told me!”

He rested his head on her door, his heart and mind filled with the guilt he had never had before. It was even worse than when he left Ridena. _She is not wrong; I should have told her._

She surprised him when she abruptly opened her door but didn’t look at him. “Move!”

“No. Anise, please—”

“MOVE! I’m leaving, and you cannot stop me! I... I never want to see you again!” she yelled, weeping as she struggled to breathe from all the emotions.

“Please—” he tried one more time in vain to keep her from leaving by grabbing her arm.

“Let me go! Now!”

“Please, Anise, _Os daelha ohn yi julikal_.”

“If you loved me, you would have told me the truth,” she said with a strange calmness, surprising herself.

Teldryn realized there was no way to keep her from leaving, so he let her go. “ _Os daelha ohn_ ,” he whispered as she ran, leaving him behind.

After he watched her run out the door and out of his life, he walked away to her room, sadness filling his heart, and sat on her bed. He rubbed his face in his hands in frustration. He had grown to love his daughter, and he felt like a failure of a father. Teldryn then saw it there; her sketchbook. It appeared she took her other sketchbooks and the dress he gave her.

Opening it, he saw it was full of drawings, no sheet of blank paper left. Turning the pages, he came across several pictures of Ridena. If Anise’s drawings were accurate, Ridena barely aged a day. She looked the same and still beautiful. Then there were several drawings of himself. All her sketches of him looked just like him, capturing all his features with precise accuracy. He sensed his eyes well up with tears but quickly stifled them.

He closed her book, grabbing his bag to pack up his own things, and placed her sketchbook in it, not wanting to leave it behind. He would embark on the next ship to Skyrim and talk to Ridena about Anise to see what they should do about it if anything. _Ridena is going to be furious with me, but she needs to know I failed them both. I’m done lying and keeping secrets._

As Anise rode on the ship, it was easier on her stomach this time since she wasn’t tucked away, crammed in between crates and barrels, able to pay her way back to Skyrim.

She felt the chilly breeze on her face and the spray of salty water, trying not to think about Teldryn, but she couldn’t help it. All this time, she had a father right under her nose. She adored him, but it wasn’t as a daughter might for her father. It was inappropriate, and she felt humiliated. Had he told her from the beginning, she would have been happy to have him as her father. He was a good man who took good care of her, teaching her and letting her go on jobs and adventures with him. She appreciated that more than he would ever know, but she couldn’t get past her anger that he kept such a big secret from her. She wasn’t happy with her _alma_ either.

Two days later, she found herself back at the Windhelm docks. Instead of going to see her mother, she headed to the stables to rent a carriage to take her anywhere but Windhelm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: Old lovers reunite and new ones are discovered.
> 
> julikal - daughter  
> kena - teacher  
> n'chow - damn
> 
> ** 'Os daelha ohn yi julikal' - loosely translated to 'I love you, my daughter.


	10. Old and New Lovers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teldryn reunites with Ridena, Anise's mother, to give her the bad news...one thing leads to another, of course. Anise lets her mother know how she really feels about being lied to and makes a life of her own. Anise discovers the world of twins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah, a threesome with Companion twins and it won't be the last time (this one isn't over graphic). I had to do it...sorry, not sorry. Anise sure isn't XD. That makes this NSFW.
> 
> Thanks for reading, commenting and kudos! Love you all!! <3

Teldryn arrived in Windhelm a couple of days behind Anise. He couldn’t very well travel on the same ship with her. He wasn’t trying to catch up to her necessarily, but he needed to tell Ridena what happened. She may want to try to find their daughter, but he would let her decide that. Teldryn believed Anise needed some time away to think things through. He was confident she would find her way back to them, that the bond they forged the past ten months was strong enough.

He disembarked the ship. The smells and snow bringing back a flood of memories. Life with Ridena was the only thing that kept him in the Gray Quarter. She was the only reason he stayed so long before he couldn’t take it anymore. He loathed the place. It was full of bitter Dunmer and angry Nords. Windhelm itself was a crumbling ruin full of cold, hard stone. The city just had an air of hostility and misery. As he walked through the streets, he could tell, even after 38 years, nothing had changed. _Typical_.

It was early evening, so Ridena should be home and finished with work. If he knew her, she would be busy making meals for the refugees, spending her hard-earned coin on mer, who couldn’t care less about her. That was one of his biggest peeves living in the Gray Quarter. All that work she did, making them meals, trying to provide them with supplies when she could. They barely grunted a thank you. The Dunmer from the Gray Quarter were so entitled, expecting others to give while giving nothing in return. Teldryn didn’t forget the story Anise told him about their treatment of her. That pissed him off more than anything.

He could still hear Ridena’s words as if it was yesterday. _“One day, I will need them, and they will assist me. That is what it means to serve your community, Teldryn. I don’t need their thanks, but they will remember the good I provided if that day ever comes. I know if I ever need them, they will be there for me, but you know that is not why I am doing this. They need help, and no one else is doing that.”_

It was something she explained to him over and over, and one he never agreed with. Teldryn, tired of living in squalor, tried to bring her with him to Solstheim, but she wanted no part of the mercenary life. He couldn’t really blame her for that, but she wanted to stay and do some good for her people—her bitter Dunmer. He respected Ridena for all her efforts to help, but it frustrated him with their people taking her for granted.

It took Teldryn a few minutes standing in front of her door before he knocked. He was nervous, palms sweating. It wasn’t just because he was bringing her bad news, but he still loved her and couldn’t stop thinking about her since the day Anise arrived with her letter. Them having a daughter together changed things as well.

Finally getting the guts, he knocked on Ridena’s door. A woman answered with her dark hair draped on her shoulder. It was wet from a recent wash, dripping with water. Her face was still the same, even after all these years. His stomach dropped at the sight of her, and he found himself struggling for words. _She is still so beautiful. By Azura, how I missed her._

Ridena couldn’t hide her shock at seeing Teldryn, not expecting ever to see him again. Once she got over her initial shock, she looked around for Anise; the worry was visible in her eyes that her daughter would get caught back in Windhelm. Realizing Anise was not there, she knew something was wrong.

“Where is she, Teldryn? What happened?” Ridena demanded, not bothering to greet him.

“It’s good to see you too, Ridena.”

“Knock off the sarcasm, Sero. I’m in no mood. What happened to Anise?”

“If you let me in instead of freezing my ass out here on your icy doorstep, I will explain.”

Ridena stepped aside and let Teldryn in. Her apartment, their apartment once upon a time, had changed little over the years. Some new decorations, but Ridena spent little of her money on useless items.

She waved a hand at an old rickety wooden chair at the kitchen table for him to sit and sat across from him, pouring him a mug of mead.

He sipped on the mead and explained what happened to Anise. “She’s gone, Ridena. She found your letter and read it. She’s angry with us both.”

“Now how in Nirn did she get ahold of my letter? Why would you ever keep it for this long? You should have burned it.”

He already felt guilty over that, realizing what he should have done, but it was too late now. The damage was done. “I... I missed you so much after I read your letter. It took me a long time to get over you, and your letter brought back a flood of memories. I wanted to read it and found I could not destroy it.”

Ridena softened with his words, understanding how he felt. “I can understand that, Teldryn, but you knew how I felt about Anise finding out.”

“About that, do you know how many times I almost told her, despite you making me promise. It was wrong, Ridena. It was wrong of you to keep such a secret from our daughter. In fact, it was wrong of you to keep such a secret from me.”

“And what would you have done had you known? Come running back to me? Nothing could keep you here, not even me,” she said, unable to keep the bitterness out of her voice.

Teldryn knew it still upset her with him leaving, hurt that she wasn’t enough for him, and she wasn’t wrong. It was already hard to tie him down. No woman had done that until her. But his hatred of the Gray Quarter outweighed his love for Ridena. “You know why I left. It was never about you. I don’t know if I would have come back had you told me, but I know I would have helped you with money or something.”

“Of course it was about me. We were together, and you left me behind. And I took care of Anise just fine without your help,” she hissed at him.

“I begged you to come with me, Ridena.”

“And what would I have done? You go off on your adventures while I sit alone doing nothing? I could already do that here, and at least I got to help our people.”

“Look, I’m not here to argue what could have been or should have been, Ridena. These are the same arguments we have always had. Nothing has changed. I don’t want to fight with you or rehash old painful memories. I just thought you deserved to know that Anise found out about me and left.”

“You’re right. Do you know where she went?” Ridena relented with a sigh.

“No, I don’t think she even knows where she’s going. I trust that she will be safe. I trained her the best that I could with sword, bow, and spells.”

“You trained her then? Good. A part of me wants to go off and find her, but she’s also an adult. She’s not a little girl anymore, though it will probably always feel that way. If you trained her, perhaps she has a good chance of living a good life on her own.”

“Ridena, you should know Anise is a powerful spell-caster. I have no idea how, but it took her no time at all to master very complicated spells. She almost killed me a couple of times while training her,” he chuckled.

“I had no idea. Anise was always a clumsy girl. I thought her only talent was drawing. I’m glad to know she is strong in her spells, that will keep her alive.”

“I... I have also grown to love her. We have had a great ten months together. Then I blew it by not hiding or destroying your letter. Now she hates me.”

“I don’t think she hates you. She’s just angry, but she will come around and realize all the good times you two shared and miss you.”

“I hope so. I wish to see her again.” Teldryn rubbed his face, elbows on the table, the frustration and anguish apparent. He already missed the girl.

Ridena stood and came to sit next to him, stroking his back. “I hope so, too. I see how you feel about her and I wish now I had told you. I just wasn’t sure how you would react, but also worrying you would rush back and be miserable here. I’m sorry.”

Teldryn reached for her and pulled her into an embrace. “By the Gods, I have missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too,” she said, holding him in return.

Teldryn and Ridena found themselves unable to break away from each other. He surprised himself as he planted tender kisses on her face. Her eyes were closed as she let him. Despite the argument, the sweet kisses made it feel like no time had passed between them as things grew heated.

Before they knew it, clothes were thrown across the room, and they ended up in Ridena’s bed. Teldryn’s face planted between her legs, missing her taste and smell. It had been so long since he had been with a woman; it surprised him he even remembered what to do. She rewarded him with her moans and fingers clenching his long ears just like she used to. 

As the waves of her orgasm subsided, she pulled him up for a kiss full of passion, tongue meeting tongue. She pushed him away, looking at him as his eyes heated, wanting her. 

“In me... now,” she whispered as he happily complied.

He groaned in her neck at her warmth and wetness as he penetrated her. It was tight, and he had to take his time. Because it had been so long, he soon exploded, disappointed it was over as quickly as it began. “I’m sorry that was so fast. It has been... a long time.”

“38 years for me, the last I can recall,” she laughed.

Teldryn rolled onto his side and pulled her close, her back to him as he nuzzled his face in her thick black hair that smelled like lavender. He didn’t know why that made him happy she was never with another man again. He should have wanted her to be happy without him.

“I’m assuming you are going back soon to Solstheim?” Ridena asked, unable to hide a note of disappointment in her voice.

“Eventually, I guess. I would like to stay for a while if that is fine. I need to know that Anise is okay and settled somewhere before I head back.”

“That’s fine... I would like that.”

A few weeks after Teldryn showed up on Ridena’s doorstep to tell her Anise fled, she received a knock on her door from a courier who had a letter for her. Opening it, she sat down as tears spilled out of her eyes in relief that Anise was alive and well.

_Dear alma,_

_I thought I would send a letter to you to let you know I am fine. I am sure Teldryn let you know that I left Solstheim. I am still furious at you and Teldryn (I’m finding it difficult to call him_ ata _at the moment) for keeping this big secret from me. I don’t know what possessed you from insisting this secret be kept from me. Did you think I could not handle it? Was it to punish him?_

_And I am angry at Teldryn for not telling me, despite your wishes. I was living with him, believing him to be someone else, only to find he is my_ ata _. How do you think that made me feel?_

_Anyway, I am living in Whiterun right now. I have a small house and now work as a mercenary, as Teldryn taught me. It’s better than cleaning houses. Please don’t come to see me. I just thought you should know where I am and that I’m fine because, unlike you, I don’t keep secrets._

_In time, maybe I can forgive you both and see you once more. Until that time, please leave me alone._

_Anise_

Teldryn walked into the room to see Ridena reading a letter, crying. “What’s wrong?”

Ridena said nothing as she handed him the letter from Anise. He read it three times before returning it to her. “At least she is alive and well.”

“She hates us,” she wept in her hands. “It’s all my fault! She asked me in the letter if I did it to punish you and now that I think about it, perhaps I did. She suffered because I was still angry you left me.”

Teldryn didn’t know what to say to that as he had similar thoughts, but he reached for her and held her as she cried. When he first met Anise, he didn’t know how to handle the emotions, but since she was always up and down in her moods, he got used to it and figured out how to calm her down whenever she was upset.

“She doesn’t hate us. She’s just angry, but it won’t last.”

“I’m a terrible mother,” she wailed.

“You’re not a terrible mother. You raised her well. She’s a good girl and very smart. Anise even taught me a few things about life, and I thought I was too old to learn anything new. She will be back.”

“She shouldn’t come back. It’s still too dangerous. But I would like to see her one day. I always wanted to see Whiterun,” she said, finally wiping away the tears. _At least she’s alive and well._

Anise woke up in the morning with a pounding headache and a horrible taste in her mouth. She drank too much at the tavern last night and figured this was what would happen, letting an adult alone into the world for the first time—an adult whose parents protected her all her life. Anise was smart enough to know she was misbehaving with her newfound freedom. She just didn’t care. _Well, now I care as I can barely see straight with this pounding headache... and what is that terrible taste?_

She struggled to get up, but she couldn’t move. Something was holding her down. As Anise’s vision cleared, she looked on either side to figure out what or who was pinning her to the bed. There was a muscled arm draped over her torso on one side. On the other side, a giant hand had a hold of her breast and a dense leg laying over her own legs.

_By Sheogorath, what did I do last night?_ She had flashes of memory of some tall, well-muscled twins. Anise remembered her flirting and kissing both of them. _Did they carry me home? I can’t remember!_ More flashes of one twin’s face between her legs, another twin’s member in her mouth... _B’vehk!_ She should have freaked out, but she just ended up giggling quietly at the entire scene, which only made her head hurt worse and whimper. Her biggest disappointment was that she didn’t remember all the details.

Her hand glowed as she healed her headache and then struggled to move the heavy arms off of her, which soon woke them up. 

One twin sat up, wiping the sleep from his eyes, freeing her as she scrambled out of bed to use the privy. As she peed, she felt how sore she was between her legs. _What did they do to me? Stupid question, I know what we did, I just don’t know why I’m so sore!_

Anise returned to her room to another twin standing and stretching, his massive morning erection standing at attention. _No wonder I’m so sore!_ she thought, ogling at his massive cock. Meanwhile, the other twin rolled over to go back to sleep, pulling the covers with him. She was a little embarrassed, feeling herself blush as she went to find her smalls to put back on. As soon as she bent over to reach for them, the twin standing slapped her on the ass and pulled her into him.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he asked.

She looked up into his silver eyes, his hair falling into his face, and blushed. _Ah, now I remember more, they are quite handsome. “_ Uhm, getting dressed… uhm...”

“I’m Farkas since you seemed to have forgotten. That there is my brother, Vilkas, the one who refuses to get up. Anise, right?”

“That’s me,” she said with a nervous laugh.

Farkas fisted her hair from behind and bent down to nibble on her neck as he pinched her nipple. She could feel his hardness pressed up against her thigh. She wanted to melt into him, feel him inside of her once again. _Well, if I do this now, at least I will have a better memory of it._ Instead, she pushed him away with some difficulty, ignoring the wetness between her legs.

“Uhm, sorry, big guy. As much as I would love to, I have a job to get ready for today.”

Farkas slid a hand between her legs, feeling her wetness. “You sure about that. Your body seems not to want to go to work yet.”

“Mmm, ah yeah… I’m sure...” she moaned as he brushed a thumb on her clit, watching her close her eyes. “Wait. No! Stop… really. I have to get ready.” She struggled to get out of his firm grasp as his fingers almost sent her over the edge.

“Too bad, that was fun last night,” he said and let her go.

“Yep, sure was…” with another nervous laugh.

Anise, still naked, looked all over her room for her tunic only to find it peeping out from under Vilkas’ sleeping form. She groaned and bent over in bed, trying to pull it out from under the dense man, only to have her ass slapped one more time for her efforts by Farkas.

“Sorry, I couldn’t help it. You just have a nice, slappable ass. I will leave you alone... promise,” he laughed, hands raised, when she turned around to scowl at him.

Anise, unable to get her tunic from under Vilkas, started shaking him awake. “Alright, you too! Wake up! Time for you and your brother to go home. I have work to do.”

Vilkas grunted and turned around to pull Anise down with him, holding her from behind as she could feel his hardness pressed up against her backside, rutting around between her legs, hearing Farkas laughing in the background. _Really? These two will not let me get out of here._

She felt the electricity course through her hand as she focused a small amount on her finger. She pressed it to Vilkas hand groping her breast, hearing a yelp from behind her. “Fine, I’m up... I’m up,” he grumbled.

With great effort, she got the twins out of her house, much to their great reluctance as they tried to kiss her as she shoved them out her door. She had to admit it pleased her that these handsome men wanted more of her. When she finished with her job, she would definitely seek them out again. _Maybe one at a time next time... Nah_.

The Jarl of Falkreath hired Anise to clear out some bandits out of Fort Neugrad. No one wanted the job, so she jumped on it as it was worth 800 Septim. She needed to get out there and get it done. It was already going to take a few days just to get there. 

Once she was clean and dressed, she rented a horse and made her way to Falkreath hold, near the border of Cyrodiil.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: Helgen, dragons and Ulfric.
> 
> I have gone slightly canon next chapter, but I find Helgen relatively boring, so I tried to keep it as interesting as I could.


	11. The Ambush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the arrival of Alduin, so does Alkiirvur, Dragonborn's dragon soul, who is aware. Anise is reluctantly thrown in with the Stormcloaks since the Imperials wanted to kill her, escapes and saves Ulfric's life once again, then he hires her to bring him safely back to Windhelm since he's alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter focuses mainly on the beginning of the game and Helgen and is only sort of canon. I did not go into extensive detail. 
> 
> Thank you for reading and commenting! I appreciate it very much! <3

Fort Neugrad was a lot more complicated than she anticipated and soon realized why no one else wanted the job. More bandits surrounded the Fort than she had ever seen at one time. If Anise had more experience like Teldryn, she would have at least asked for more money. 

She spent most of her energy getting within the walls using her ward spell to protect her from other spell casters. On top of it, she had to dodge arrows coming at her from archers up above in the ramparts. Instead of fighting off the mages first, she had to take out the archers since wards did not work against projectiles like arrows. She cast her fireballs at the archers, watching them fly off the ramparts in fiery gore. Inside the old Fort was less challenging since she could sneak around corners, plucking off bandits one by one with her bow.

Once she cleared out the entire fort, it was too late to head back to Falkreath for her reward, deciding to make camp nearby in the woods. After eating some dinner, she couldn’t stop yawning. The entire day was exhausting, and she used up most of her energy. Every muscle in her body seemed to cry out with aches. She was about to go lie face down on her bedroll in her tent when she heard the snapping of twigs. 

Anise readied her fire spells, sure it was most likely an elk, but she wanted to be ready in case it was something or someone worse. She was already alert and tense from the day of fighting bandits. Soon she heard the pop of another twig in a different direction.

“Who’s out there! Show yourself!” she yelled.

That was when she could feel and hear an arrow whistle by her head, narrowly missing it. She dove to the ground on instinct as more arrows shot by her. “Stop shooting at me! What do you want?! Let’s talk, ya? I’m just a lowly person camping!”

“Raise your hands where we can see them, dark-skin!” said a gruff voice from her left. She couldn’t see the man but knew he was near.

“And why should I do that? You are probably going to kill me, anyway. Don’t I have a right to defend myself?”

“Not against the Legion, you don’t. We have caught you crossing the border illegally, and we are taking you to prison, traitor!” 

_Traitor?_ She watched a man appear, his bow ready with an arrow nocked, dressed in the uniform of the Imperials. Soon, other soldiers arrived around her camp, surrounding her.

“Now hold on just a moment. I was fighting off some bandits... you’re welcome, by the way! The Jarl hired me to do a job, and I did it. I didn’t even go into Cyrodiil, let alone come back from it!”

“Stop your lies, darky. You are right on the border and caught trying to flee. Now hands in the air!”

Anise looked around and saw that they surrounded her. She calculated the odds of getting out of the tricky situation alive. _One... three... six... I can handle that. The bandit camp had a lot more baddies._

Before she even started to fight the soldiers, someone hit her over the head from behind, and everything went black.

Anise woke to a pounding headache. Not the sort of headache you suffer from too much fun the night before with twins, but one that involves a concussion. _B’vehk! What happened?_ As her clouded mind cleared, memories came back of the ambush and her being captured by the Imperials. She didn’t understand why they took her over some nonsense about her crossing the border. _I guess they don’t care one way or the other,_ n’chow _bastards._ Then she remembered they called her a traitor.

She was dizzy as she took in her surroundings. The cart she rode in had several men in uniform, uniforms she recognized from living in Windhelm, and one man dressed in rags. She looked over at the Imperial driving the cart and could see her armor and weapons in a crate next to him. At least they gathered my things. _If I can find a way out of the ropes, maybe I can escape._

“Ah, you’re awake.” 

Anise looked over to the man talking to her. He was some blonde Nord, watching her with concern. “What’s it to you, Stormcloak?” she asked, not wanting to talk to him. They hated her kind.

“Nothing, just glad to see you’re okay. You were out of it for quite a while.”

“Since when has a Stormcloak ever cared about my kind or well-being?”

“I don’t hate your kind,” he retorted. “I’m Ralof. What’s your name?”

She figured it didn’t hurt to give him her name. “Anise. What’s going on? Why are we all in this cart?”

“I don’t know about you, but they caught us in an Imperial ambush. There were too many of them to fight off, so here we are,” Ralof explained.

“Yeah, same. They accused me of trying to cross the border into Cyrodiil. Not sure why that’s even a crime, but maybe they just don’t care.”

“Well, if you don’t have your papers and use proper entry points, they will treat you like any other criminal.”

“I wasn’t even crossing the border. I was clearing out bandits at a nearby fort,” she explained.

“All by yourself?” Ralof asked, eyes wide in surprise.

“Yeah! What of it? I can handle myself.”

“I meant no disrespect.”

Anise looked around and could see more carts with Stormcloak soldiers while listening to the man across from her whimper about being caught. _If he is a horse thief, now that I can understand why they captured him, but me?_ She looked over at the large man next to her in a regal uniform with his mouth gagged, instantly recognizing him. Long forgotten fears of meeting the man a year ago and running away from Windhelm for the murder of a Windhelm guard filled her.

_“N’chow!”_ she groaned out loud. _Maybe that is why the Imperials captured me. I killed two of their spies that day, and they found me._ Apparently, it was the Imperials she should have been worried about rather than the Stormcloaks.

“This is Helgen. I used to be sweet on a girl from here,” Ralof reminisced. “I guess this is the end of the line for us. See the Thalmor there? With Ulfric, I’m sure they are going to execute us.”

_Execute?_ Anise said nothing as she thought about her _alma_ and Teldryn. She realized she could never go back to them as she planned. She was still angry, but she didn’t hate them, feeling the tears spill down her face. _All that time escaping to Solstheim, just to be caught anyway and now condemned to death. Was all that for nothing?_

Tears blurred her vision as she squirmed around, trying to find a way out of her bindings. The rope was too tight, and she couldn’t even maneuver her hands to burn the ropes off without burning her flesh. 

“Die with some dignity, girl. Stop your crying,” Ralof chided.

“Maybe you’re ready to die, horker fucker, but I enjoy living! I have twins to go home to—”

“You have kids, then? I’m sorry.”

“Yeah... kids. You could call them that,” she responded, not correcting him.

When it was her turn to face the Imperial list, she was weeping even more. 

“Ah, yes, Dark Elf. You are wanted for the murder of two Imperial spies. May your gods have mercy.”

_How did they find me? “_ They were self-defense! It was self-defense,” Anise yelled out as they dragged her away to the chopping block.

Anise’s mind clouded with too many emotions, and thoughts rushed her like a raging river about trying to escape her inevitable death. She threw up when she saw another soldier getting his head lobed off as if life meant nothing to these people. Cold sweat dripped down her back and from her armpits, feeling light-headed. It was not just from the concussion, but fear. Anise almost passed out when she could feel someone pulling her to the chopping block.

“No, no, no… please!” she whimpered, knowing no amount of pleading was going to get her out of this. Then a roaring sound coming from the mountains distracted them. “What was that?” she could hear someone ask. “Forget it,” said another. Anise couldn’t see anything through her tears as they shoved her head to the block. She could see nothing but a masked man, massive ax raised, ready to cut her head off.

Uncontrollable shaking filled her and squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to see the ax coming down on her neck. Then the roaring sound grew louder, and the whole ground shook beneath her. Anise dared to open her eyes, no longer seeing the executioner. In his place was a massive black dragon looking at her from high above, sitting on a tower. Then everything went black.

“ _Kolos los zu’u_ (where am I)?” Alkiirvur said, waking up as if from a long dream.

“ _Drey Akotash drun hi wah viik zu’u, Alkiirvur_ (Did Akotash waken you to defeat me, Alkiirvur)?” the giant black dragon scoffed.

A memory cleared in Alkiirvur’s head as he tried to stand. There was no time to waste or think about what happened, needing to deal with Alduin once more. He remembered Akatosh telling him to defeat Alduin in the future. _It must be the future, and now it is my time._ But he could not stand. He tried, but he fell back down on his back, not understanding why. He tried to lift his wings to fly instead, but all he saw were hands, his wings gone. 

Alkiirvur could feel the panic course through him, not understanding what was going on or what happened to his wings. “ _Zu’u ni mindoraan_ (I don’t understand).” 

“ _Hi los joor_ (you are mortal).” Alduin’s laugh was deep and guttural, ignoring the arrows firing at him as if they were just flies. “ _Unt wah krii zu’u nu joor!_ (try to kill me now, mortal!),“ Aluin dared as Alkiirvur watched him fly away, killing everyone in his path before blackness hit him.

Anise could feel arms lift her, pulling her towards a crumbling tower that was standing perfectly a moment ago. She lost time at some point, not understanding how she wasn’t dead. Then all her training with Teldryn kicked in as she pulled away from the firm hands. “Cut me loose now!” she yelled at someone, not caring who.

She felt her ropes give way, running to the cart to grab her armor and weapons before the creature destroyed them, and ran towards a still-standing tower. The noise was deafening with the dragon’s roars, meteors plummeting to the ground, explosions, and fire everywhere. She struggled not to cover her ears from the din.

Once Anise was inside the tower, the door closed behind her. She wasted no time putting on her armor, readying her ebony sword. She scanned the area and saw there were several Stormcloaks, including Ulfric. As if the dragon wasn’t bad enough, she panicked, finding herself surrounded by the enemy. 

Anise did her stance that Teldryn taught her and readied her sword while her other hand lit up with a fireball spell, thinking they were going to attack her as well. 

“We will not hurt you, girl,” said Ralof. 

“We need to get out of here! Now!” yelled Ulfric.

Anise didn’t waste any time as she ran up the tower away from everything that wanted to kill her, including the Stormcloaks, only to be pushed back by the exploding wall and fire raining down on them from the dragon. She put up her strongest ward to protect her, and incidentally those behind her from the fiery onslaught and rubble.

“ _Kolos los hi, Alkiirvur_ (where are you)!” roared Alduin, sniffing around, trying to find the dragon trapped in the Dark Elf’s body. “ _Zu’u mindok hi los het_ (I know you are here)!” Once Alduin couldn’t find Alkiirvur, he flew off to search elsewhere.

_B’vehk!_ Anise’s heart was pounding in fear as she thought the dragon was going to kill them right then and there. Her breath was labored as she pushed on, not hesitating to jump out the gaping hole in the tower made by the dragon. She landed hard on the upper floor of a burning house below her, twisting her ankle, and cried out. Anise felt hands lifting her by her armpits, dragging her through the burning Oblivion that was previously Helgen.

“Move, elf!” she could hear someone yell at her. She cast a quick healing spell on her ankle as she hopped, then ran forward, ahead of the rest of the Stormcloaks and Ulfric as they dodged fiery meteors and blasts from the dragon.

Alduin caught sight of Alkiirvur and wasted no time in blasting the _joor_ dragon.

Anise could see the dragon come at her, facing her once more, trying to blast her with fire. Ulfric was right next to her, and with nowhere else to go, she grabbed him close, casting her strongest ward, and prayed to Azura that it would hold. 

She screamed out as she could feel her ward weakening, knowing it was about to break as Anise tried to pull as much Magicka into her spell. Before it broke, several mages and archers distracted the dragon as it flew off to kill them. Anise wasted no time running again as she yanked on Ulfric’s hand, pulling him towards the building ahead of them.

She, Ulfric, and Ralof ran through the keep, fighting Imperials along the way, trying to escape Helgen. They all finally reached a cave as the whole keep collapsed behind them.

The ever calm and stoic Ulfric dusted off his armor as if nothing traumatic had happened and a dragon didn’t just appear for the first time in centuries. “Well, there is no way but forward now. Let’s go.”

Anise had little choice but to follow the two men, sword ready, not sure she could trust them despite having saved their lives. _Someone saved mine, though. But who was it?_ After fighting off several giant frostbite spiders and a cave bear, they made it out of the cave alive and watched as the dragon flew off in the distance. 

“By your leave, Ulfric, I would like to rush to Riverwood, where my sister and her family live to make sure they are okay! The dragon headed in that direction!”

Ulfric gave a curt nod as Ralof quickly ran off to Riverwood, leaving him and Anise alone.

“And I need a damned drink! _N’chow!”_ she yelled out in frustration after the harrowing day, sheathing her sword. “This must be on the top of my list as one of the worst days ever.” She turned to face Ulfric, no longer the timid woman from last year. “Well, since you’re alive and well, my lord, I’m off.” Anise walked off with a flick of her hand in dismissal.

“Not so fast,” he said with his usual calm baritone as he grabbed her arm in a tight grip, but not so much that it hurt.

“Oh no, that’s twice now I saved your life. Or is it three times? I’m going home now, so you can let go of me. Now.”

“So it _is_ you. I thought I recognized you from last year, but you look different... more confident with less hair. You are the one who fell and then killed my would-be assassin.”

“I’m surprised you even recognized me. I mean, we dark-skins all look alike, right?” she responded, not bothering to hide her sarcasm.

“Sometimes you do, as I’m sure Nords look the same to you too. But not you, and I am good with faces. You have unique features. I never saw you again after that day.”

“Yeah, well, that assassin had friends.”

His brows lowered, eyes became irritated. “I see. Why was I not informed then?”

“I’m sorry, but have you suddenly gone blind? He attacked me and had to kill him.” When her explanation didn’t register on his face, she pressed on in frustration. “I’m a Dark Elf from the Gray Quarter who defended herself against a man disguised as a Stormcloak guard. Who do you think they would believe?”

“I would have believed after what happened at the palace.”

“Do you really think your guards would bring me before you to tell my side of the story? I think not. They would beat me, torture me, then kill me.”

Ulfric thought about what she said and knew she wasn’t wrong, but he was alone and needed someone to get him safely back to Windhelm. Since this girl saved his life twice now, who better to get him there? “I will pay you, of course.”

“Pay me for what exactly? I’m going home to get drunk with twins. Then I’m going to Falkreath to collect my bounty for getting rid of some bandits. Oh, after this, I’m going to ask for twice my fee! Well, good luck, Jarl Ulfric.” Anise walked off before Ulfric called out to her once more.

“I will pay you twice what the Jarl of Falkreath is paying you.”

Anise walked back to the incredibly tall and broad man, looking up to him, unafraid. She wasn’t as timid as she once was, thanks to Teldryn’s training. “I think you owe me more than that for saving your sorry life... twice now!” Anise didn’t want to spend any more time around this imposing man. At least not for 1600 Septim. After today, she learned she needed to increase her rates after everything she had just been through. _No wonder Teldryn is so expensive!_

“Will 2000 Septim do?”

She ran a list through her head, reasoning why she shouldn’t take his coin and move on with her life. For one, it was a lot of coin. Two, it might be helpful to have him as an ally should she get in trouble again. But it was a long way to Windhelm, and her _alma_ was there, not ready to deal with her yet. Not to mention Ulfric was a _s’wit_.

“2,500,” she countered.

“2,200.”

“Do you have coin on you now?”

“I’m afraid the Imperials took everything from me but what I’m wearing.”

“So you can’t even pay half? _B’vehk!”_ She thought more about it as she paced back and forth. She decided he wouldn’t swindle her, well she hoped he wouldn’t, but it _was_ a lot of coin. “Fine, but you better pay as soon as we get there—no stopping for wining and dining. First, I have to go home. I need supplies for the trip, and clearly, you have nothing.”

“It is best if we do not go to your home. The Imperials may know where you live,” Ulfric argued.

“I doubt it as they would have found me before now at my home. But we won’t be there long, anyway. We can’t very well get to Windhelm on hope alone... we need supplies,” she argued.

“Very well, but let’s not dally.”

_This is going to be an endless trip... I can feel it._ “Let’s get some ground rules down before we head out, _milord._ Out here, we are equals. I know how you see my people, and I don’t much care for it. If I hear you call me darky or dark-skinned or use ‘elf’ in any disrespectful way, I’m going to abandon your ass in a nest of giant frostbite spiders. Is that understood?”

Ulfric gave her a curt bow. “Understood.”

“Good, and if there is any confusion about what to call me, you may call me Anise. Friends call me Annie, but you are no friend.”

“Very well, Anise.”

Ulfric stifled a laugh as she tripped over a stone that would have sent her flying had Ulfric not caught her.

_Brilliant, Anise. Way to drum up respect from the Jarl after your magnificent speech._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: Talking to dragons in one's head is, at best, confusing.
> 
> Dunmeri Words:  
> \- N'chow is equivalent to 'damn'  
> \- S'wit is 'slackwit'  
> \- B'vehk is 'by Vivec'
> 
> I have translated the dragon language as best as I can...I'm sure it's not perfect.


	12. Reluctant Companions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anise is surrounded by unwanted companions and attention between the twins hounding her, being forced to travel with Ulfric and then discovers an unwanted being in her brain...or was it a soul?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and commenting! I hope you are enjoying my story. I have already grown quite fond of Anise.
> 
> Let me know what you think! <3

It took two days to get to Whiterun. Exhaustion hit Anise, and Ulfric didn’t look much better. Between the ambush, fleeing from the dragon, and hiking all the way to Whiterun had left them tired and irritable. They didn’t even have time to stop and camp the previous night having no gear, so they just kept on walking, stopping only once in a while to warm up by a fire and rest their legs.

When they arrived in town, Ulfric pulled his hood up from his cloak to hide his face, not wanting anyone to recognize him, not that he didn’t stand out in his armor. But most people were too busy with work to take notice.

As they walked through town, Anise saw the twins and ducked behind the giant Jarl of Windhelm, hoping the young men didn’t see her. When it appeared they missed her, she breathed a sigh of relief and walked to her little home.

“Someone, you know? Or don’t want to know, I should ask?” Ulfric asked, seeing her use him as a human shield.

“It’s complicated.”

After they reached her house, she packed up supplies until the incessant banging on her front door turned her mood from sour to irritable. Anise tried to be quick about packing food and supplies for the trip, but if she didn’t open her door, the banging wouldn’t stop. She drew her dagger in case it was someone unwanted, like an Imperial soldier.

As she opened her door, two burly men rushed into her house. Anise dropped her dagger in surprise as one of them lifted her in the air, nibbling and kissing her neck. “We thought you came home! We could smell you.”

_Smell me?_

Ulfric saw the men barge in, going straight for his guide. He withdrew the sword Anise lent him before he realized they must have been friends... _perhaps more than friends_? He then suddenly blushed as the heat spread to his face and down his neck, and flustered at the intimate scene.

“Uhm... ah... Farkas, right?” she asked, sensing the heat between her legs as he nibbled on her ear.

“Vilkas…” he responded between nibbles. 

Farkas then grabbed her, pulling her away from Vilkas, as he pressed his lips to hers, inserting his tongue. 

Anise would love nothing more than to take the two young men upstairs and let them have their way with her, but she had to work. Then she realized Ulfric was right there, staring at the whole thing. She had to put a stop to it.

She struggled to push the men off of her. “Stop! Off! Back... baaaack!” she yelled as she slapped at them. _Ugh, this is embarrassing!_ “I, uhm, have a guest. You are being rude.”

The twins suddenly saw the large hooded man, his armor dented, and his long light blue sash torn and dirty with a sword drawn. He looked like a Stormcloak, but they remained silent since they didn’t involve themselves in the war or politics. At least the twins didn’t recognize him as Jarl Ulfric.

Anise watched their cheerful faces turn to pouts as she started laughing at them. “Get those looks off of your faces. He’s just a job, and I was trying to get ready to go before you two barged in here like a couple of rampaging mammoths.”

“He’s not a new boyfriend, is he?” Farkas, or Vilkas, asked. She wasn’t sure.

“As I said, he’s a job. Now shoo! Go home!”

After Anise shoved them out of her house, she had her back pressed to the door as if they would barge in once more. She snorted a laugh, which she silenced, seeing Ulfric’s red face. Her amused look turned into one of shame and embarrassment. “Uhm, sorry about that. They are... eager.”

“That’s an understatement,” Ulfric said stiffly and coughed, trying not to look embarrassed. It had been so long since he experienced intimacy, let alone seen it in others. He wasn’t sure how to react, especially one so wanton as her with twins. “It’s rare to see Nords interested in…”

Anise’s embarrassment soon vanished, replaced by anger. “Don’t you dare say it! Remember what I said? Giant... frostbite... spider... nest! Even the Dunmer deserve love, despite what you may think! Fine, so that isn’t really love, but still… Not everyone thinks like you, _milord_. Not all Nords hate my kind.”

“I only... fair enough,” he said, deciding not to argue the matter, not wanting to discuss her sex life.

Ulfric eyes grew wide in surprise as Anise suddenly grabbed her head and fell to her knees. He rushed to her when he saw her blackout and fall to the ground. Part of it was out of concern for her, but mostly for him. He needed her to get him back to Windhelm safely and secretly. He patted her face to stir her awake.

“Anise. Wake up. Wake up, girl.”

Relief washed over him when her eyes fluttered open, looking at him with furrowed brows. She looked confused. “ _Wo los hi_ (who are you)?” Alkiirvur asked the Nord, looking down on him, not recognizing his own voice. It sounded like a female _joor._ Strange. _Looking down on me? How can this mere mortal be so large? I am a dragon!_ He lifted his wings, but he was unable to get up. He looked at them, and instead of wings, he saw dark gray hands. _Not this again_.

Ulfric looked at Anise in shock. She was speaking dragon, a language he recognized from years of training with the Graybeards, learning his _thu’um_ , shout. _How did she learn to speak it?_ Then he watched her move her arms around as if trying to get up by flapping them like a bird. He helped her to stand, only for her to teeter on two legs, falling down again. _I understand she’s clumsy, but_ …

“ _Zu’u nis bo uv kriist_ (I cannot fly or stand)! _Daar nis kos_ (this cannot be)!” she said, looking at him with fear in her eyes.

Ulfric spent years learning the _thu’um_ , but he was not fluent in the dragon language. He was only familiar with a few shouts. “Come, let’s get up off the floor and sit down.” He pulled her upright, but he had to carry her to a chair to sit. Anise almost fell forward on her face from the chair, unable to sit upright.

“What is wrong with you!” he yelled, his frustration apparent as he held her back against the chair with his hand.

“ _Zu’u nis mindoraan hi_ (I cannot understand you).” 

Anise looked at him with confused eyes, afraid. Ulfric was confident he looked similar. “I can tell you are speaking dragon... uhm _dovah tinvaak_ , but I cannot speak it.”

Alkiirvur looked at the _joor_ , recognizing the words ‘dragon language.’ 

Ulfric covered his ears as Anise screamed, yelling at someone, _perhaps him_? 

“Enough! Out! Give me my body back! You do not get to have it and take it when you wish!” she yelled, angry. Anise woke up in her mind to find she had no control over her body. She had been screaming in her head, fighting for control when she discovered another being sharing her mind. She almost went into a panic, but anger overrode that fear as she fought the being for control over her body.

“What in Talos are you talking about, girl!” Ulfric yelled at her, getting irritated by the entire scene. He wasn’t doing anything to her body other than hold her upright. He didn’t like not knowing what was going on, but she ignored him as he listened to the strange exchange between her and.. _. herself? Great, I picked a crazy one to take me home._

“You better tell me who you are right now!” Anise yelled again.

“You know who I am, girl!” Ulfric yelled, getting more agitated by the minute.

“Quiet! I’m not talking to you! Now, who are you, and why did you just take over my body like that?” 

Ulfric wanted to strangle the girl for her impertinence. Then he saw Anise’s eyes grow unfocused as she spoke dragon again.

“ _Zu’u los Alkiirvur... zu’u los aan dovah. Wo los hi?_ (I am Alkiirvur... I am a dragon. Who are you?)”

“I am Anise, a Dunmer... Dark Elf. How in Oblivion did a dragon get in my head, and how in all of Nirn can I understand what you’re saying?!”

“ _Aan dur gein_ (a cursed one)? _Zu’u dreh ni mindok_ (I do not know). _Zu’u dahmaan Akatosh_ (I remember Akatosh) _ahrk zu’u los wan krif Alduin_ (and I am to fight Alduin).”

_Alduin_ repeated Ulfric in his head, who was listening to the entire exchange. He knew precisely who Alduin was, destroyer of worlds. _That must mean... No, it can’t be, can it? Can she really be the Dragonborn?_ “Enough. I think I have an answer for you... both.”

Anise’s eyes were expectant, hoping for some answers because she didn’t have any despite understanding everything this dragon in her head was saying. But Alkiirvur was not tolerating the interruption. 

“ _Nahlot mal joor_ (Silence, little mortal)!” she yelled at Ulfric.

“We cannot yell at... _mal joor_ dragon! He is my job and Jarl. We will listen since clearly, you have no idea what is going on either,” Anise ordered the thing in her head.

“ _Zu’u mindol daar lost aan ofan nol Akotash_ (I thought this was a gift from Akotash)! _Daar los sosaal_ (this is punishment)!” the creature bemoaned in her head. 

“Oh, give it a rest and quit your whining. I’m not that bad!” She could actually hear the dragon pouting in her head. _Really?_ “Let’s just hear what the Jarl has to say. It won’t hurt.”

Ulfric stood tall, hands clasped behind his back as he paced back and forth while she sat in her kitchen chair. Even with his armor damaged with a torn sash and covered in dirt, he was still quite an imposing man. When he spoke, people listened.

“I heard the name Alduin. He is the harbinger of the end of days. He will bring death to all of us. The only one who can stop it, as the legend goes, is the Dragonborn. That must be you, Anise, as unlikely as it seems. No offense, but you are kind of a disaster.”

“None taken,” she said blandly.

“The Dragonborn is the child of Akatosh. He places the soul of a dragon into a mortal, which would be you, it seems. It is your destiny to fight and defeat Alduin, and save all of Nirn.”

“Now hold up a minute! First, I don’t believe in destiny crap, and second, I am the last person to defeat any dragon. I was a scrubbing girl for over twenty years and now trained mercenary, not a dragon-killer.”

Ulfric waved her away. “You can disbelieve, it matters not.”

“ _Zu’u mindoraan nu fod Akatosh tinvaak do fin Dovahkiin_ (I understand now when Akatosh talked about the Dragonborn). _Rok ofan zu’u wah hi uv hi wah zu’u_ (he gave me to you or you to me).”

Anise put her head in her hands and groaned. “I’m so confused. You said that Akatosh gave you to me? Or that I was a gift to you?”

“ _Geh_ (yes). _Zu’u ni mindok fod zu’u los fin ofan uv hi_ (I do not know if I am the gift or you), _nuz hi los zok med fin ofan an zu’u fan dii laat grah voth Alduin_ (but you are most likely the gift to me for my last battle with Alduin).”

Ulfric grew annoyed with the back and forth. “What is going on! What is this dragon telling you!”

“It says that he is a gift to me, or I am to him by Akatosh. But he believes I am the gift to him for his defeat against Alduin the last time. It feels more like punishment to me, but what do I know? It’s the first time I ever had a dragon in my head.”

“ _Ni klov nuz sil_ (not head but soul).”

“Fine. Soul... whatever. All I know is I hear you in my head. Let’s get one thing straight, dragon. It’s time to set some ground rules. You no longer have permission to use my body without asking. I’m clearly not a dragon, and I’m already clumsy as it is. I do not need you walking around trying to fly me off of a cliff or something. Also, please try to speak my common tongue and not dragon around other people. I don’t need someone putting an arrow to my head because they think I’m crazy.”

“ _Rinik pruzan munon fod nii los yuvon voth hi_ (Very well, only if it is fine with you) _ahrk zu’u fen unt wah tinvaak med hi joor_ (and I will try to speak like you, mortal).”

“Ah-hem…” Anise imagined her arms crossed in her head, toe-tapping on the ground in her impatience.

“Yes, if is fine with you, your body... I speak as you _joor_ , though it gives big displeasure. You must be punishment Akatosh lie I angry.”

“Well, it gives me big displeasure with you in my head, but it’s a start.”

“ _Sil_ (soul), Alkiirvur corrected.”

“Whatever. So, what do I call you again, dragon?”

“Alkiirvur.”

“That’s hard to say. How about I just call you Al?”

“No.”

“Vur?”

“No.”

“Kiir?”

“Alkiirvur only, _joor_!”

Ulfric shook his head in wonder and annoyance at the back-and-forth banter. _By Ysmir, this is going to give me a headache_. “Please tell me we can get back to Windhelm in one piece. After that, I don’t care how crazy you look in front of others or what you do.” 

“The feeling is mutual,” she retorted. “I will get you back to Windhelm.” 

Anise pulled out her trusty map of Skyrim and tucked it into her pack as she was getting familiar with the province she was born in, never leaving the Gray Quarter until last year. 

“You better know where you are going. I am paying you good coin,” Ulfric said, noticing her map.

“I trust my map to get us to where we need to go. It hasn’t failed me yet. Admittedly, I did not leave the Gray Quarter for most of my life. Then I spent the past year in Solstheim. I’m still getting familiar with Skyrim as I haven’t been here that long.”

“Just as long as you can get me there in one piece and keep me out of the hands of the Imperials. After that, I suggest you go see the Graybeards in High Hrothgar to help you with your _thu’um_... shout. You will need it to fight the dragons.”

“How do you know so much?” she asked.

“Later. We need to go now. We have spent entirely too long here already.”

Anise strapped her pack to her back and handed the other to Ulfric. 

“What’s this?” he asked, looking at her like she was crazy, _which she is_.

“A pack for you to carry.”

“I’m not a pack mule, girl. I’m Ulfric Stormcloak.”

“Yes, I know who you are, my delicate lord. I’m not a pack mule either. I cannot carry enough gear and supplies for both of us. You are going to have to carry something too.”

“I don’t carry things.”

“Clearly… Surely a big, strong, handsome guy like you can carry a pack for a few days?” she said, fluttering her eyelashes and smiled brightly at him, hoping to boost his ego enough to carry the pack.

“You flatter... very well, I will try to carry it, if I must,” he responded.

“You must. Trust me. When we make camp, you will be happy to have your own bedroll. I don’t think we can both fit in mine, unless you want to, of course,” she teased, winking at him.

“No. I hope I don’t regret this.”

“No worries! I already regret it enough for the both of us,” said, giving him a sweet smile, patting his armored chest.

“You are a strange one, Anise.”

“So, I’ve been told, even by my own people. I saved your life twice now. Would it kill you to be a little nicer? All my life, I have struggled to find a little bit of kindness in others. All they end up doing is being cruel or lying to me.”

Ulfric looked at her, suddenly feeling a strange pity for her, remembering the day she came falling into his throne room. He remembered how upset she looked when she found out one of her own people tricked her and threw her in the lion’s den. His den. Despite all that, this clumsy and silly girl stopped an assassination.

“Ready to go?” she asked.

“I too ready,” said Alkiirvur. “Where we go?”

“To take _mal joor_ home.”

“ _Mal joor_?” Ulfric asked, wondering if they had insulted him.

“Forget it... let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: Anise soon discovers there is more to Ulfric than first appears.


	13. Long Journeys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Anise and Ulfric travel together back to Windhelm. She gets to know her dragon and finds out how nosy he is. She also sees another unexpected side to Ulfric.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading and commenting! <3

It was mid-day when Anise and Ulfric made camp to rest and have a bite to eat before moving on. Anise nibbled on some cheese as she smoothed her map on the ground and peered at it. “I think we should head North, here,” she said, showing Ulfric, pointing at the map. “Then cut over and head directly East until we run into Windhelm.”

“That will take too long. We will head NorthEast. It is the shortest route,” he ordered.

“I’m sorry, but you hired me for a reason, and I’m telling you we go North. It will take longer, but you will have a better chance of living.” 

“How does traveling a longer route keep me alive longer? Would that not shorten my life with more risk?”

“Not necessarily. Look here and here? Bandits and necromancers fill that little river valley, according to one of my sources. Honestly, I have not been through that area, but I trust the person who provided me the information. We do not want to get tied up in several battles with bandits, especially necromancers. The area also leaves us vulnerable to ambushes. You’re not exactly low-profile. I don’t like it.”

“Then, where exactly are we headed?” he asked, trying to listen.

She pointed at the map where she wanted to go. “I would like to by-pass these mountains here, then go around them, heading East. It would only add an extra day to our journey. Don’t worry; I won’t charge you extra for it,” she said, cocking a smile in his direction.

“You’re too kind,” Ulfric said, his voice flat.

“ _Rok los pahlok_ (he is arrogant),” Alkiirvur said in Anise’s head, so she didn’t have to say it out loud. “ _Zu’u laan wah zaan liz ahst rok wan nahlot rok_ (I want to shout ice at him to silence).”

Anise snorted a laugh. “ _Yes, he has quite the bloated ego_ ,” she said in her head, taking an instant liking to the dragon as she visualized Ulfric freezing in place, enjoying the silence. After walking several hours before stopping to rest, she had to listen to his incessant ego, talking about all his great battles since he killed the High King. She grew annoyed and wanted nothing more than to listen to silence.

Ulfric sat up straight, a scowl on his face, hearing her laugh, knowing it was at his expense. “What is so funny,” he demanded.

“Nothing. I… was just thinking of something.”

Ulfric couldn’t tell if she was lying or not, so he let it go and sat quietly, eating his snack, staring at the fire.

“ _You like_ mal joor... _I see_.”

“ _No!_ _He’s annoying, and he’s cruel to my people._ ”

“ _Yes, you find he looks... nice_. _Your people cruel themselves_ , dur gein (cursed one),” Alkiirvur responded, knowing all her innermost secrets. 

“ _How can you sense what I know, but I can’t understand what you know?_ ” she asked.

“ _I not let you,_ dur gein.”

“Enough rooting around in my head then!” she yelled out loud.

Ulfric watched her face as it went through several emotions and expressions as she looked at her map. He figured she was silently speaking to her dragon soul. Then, in her anger, she yelled out. He said nothing until a sadness crept into her red eyes. He never witnessed so many emotions cross a person’s face before. _If she was going to be a mercenary, she needed to work on controlling her facial expressions._

“What is bothering you?” Ulfric asked, unsure how much he really cared, but tired of her silence as he constantly filled that void with talk of himself.

“Nothing is bothering me.”

“If nothing is bothering you, then need to work on your face.”

Anise always got defensive when others talked about her face, especially from her own people. She understood her people found her homely since she didn’t have their sharper features. “And what is wrong with my face exactly! By Azura, I’m tired of people telling me how plain or ugly I am, as if I didn’t know it!”

She stood to pack up, putting out the fire.

“I was not referring to your looks. There is... nothing wrong with your appearance, and I am not sure why anyone would find you ugly,” Ulfric responded stiffly, uncomfortable with her insecurities. “I meant you shouldn’t show so much emotion in your face. Sometimes it is good to show others nothing at all.”

“Oh... thanks,” she mumbled. “Well, Teldryn... my... _ata_ , told me that all the time.”

“ _Ata_? As in father?”

“He’s... no, I don’t view him that way... never mind. It’s time to go,” she stated with a scowl on her face. 

Ulfric let it go, sensing he touched a nerve, and followed her close behind. 

They walked in silence for the rest of the day. Ulfric was sure the girl was tired of his war stories, so he kept quiet. It was dusk when they reached The Pale and made camp. 

Anise did quick work building a fire using a spell, glad the wood around the area was dry since it had not snowed in a while.

“I’ll be back. I’m going to get us something to eat,” she explained.

Ulfric didn’t argue they already had food, assuming she needed to be alone for a while. He needed some time alone as well. He removed his pack and stretched out his sore back, not used to carrying things himself. He wasn’t getting any younger, and his muscles, while still hard, were not what they once were. Too much damage ran through his body, but he wasn’t about to admit that to the girl.

It gave him a bit of empathy for those who always had to carry his gear, but he was still a Jarl and should be the King. He earned his right not to carry his own equipment. But he didn’t complain to not appear weak in front of Anise.

It didn’t take long for Anise to return with a couple of rabbits. She stripped them of their pelts with expert precision, gutted them, and put them on the spit she made to cook over the fire. 

“Where does a cleaning girl from Windhelm learn to hunt and cook rabbits?” Ulfric asked, surprising himself that he really wanted to know.

“Teldryn taught me,” was all she said. Anise enjoyed talking, but it had been a rough couple of days. Between being almost killed from the headman’s ax, and the dragon, having a dragon in her head, and stuck with the very man who made her people’s life harder, she was irritable.

“Your father—”

“He’s not my father,” she interrupted.

“But, you called him your—”

“He lied to me.”

“I see,” he responded, but that was a lie. He didn’t understand what she was talking about.

After their meal, Anise sat in front of the fire, her head resting on knees, lost in thought. She was getting bored with the silence herself, deciding to tell Ulfric her story of Teldryn. _It’s not like it’s some secret_. Ulfric would care about it as much as she cared about his war stories, which wasn’t at all, but she had to talk. Even her dragon was quiet.

“The night before I fled Windhelm, I confronted the man who put me in that uncomfortable situation with you. He was cruel to me, and he didn’t like my politics. I don’t really have politics, but I believe we should try to improve our lives and not expect others to do it for us. My _alma_ gave almost everything she had for our people, and I helped her. They never thanked us or cared. They just took from us. He didn’t like that. He didn’t like that I wasn’t like my _alma_. Upset, I ran home, bumping into one of your guards. Your guards never come to watch over the Gray Quarter, so it was a surprise to see one there.”

Ulfric shouldn’t have been surprised by her admission that she believed her people should work harder. She told him that during their first meeting a year ago, but it was reassuring that she worked hard to make her own life better without handouts. She proved it could be done with will and determination. 

“The guard attacked me, and I killed him with my dagger. After I killed him, my _alma_ helped me flee and sent me to Solstheim to find Teldryn, who is a mercenary.”

“She did not tell you he was your father, I presume,” he said as the puzzle pieces fell into place.

“No, she didn’t.” Anise left out the part where she tried to kiss Teldryn, which still embarrassed her. It was not her proudest moment. “I spent ten months training with him and was happy. All the signs were there; I just ignored them. I found the letter my _alma_ wrote to him, and she asked him to promise not to tell me he was my _ata_. Imagine my anger at being lied to my entire life.”

Ulfric understood all too well about betrayals. The Empire betrayed his whole race. He was betrayed on a more personal level as well, which was why he rebelled against the Empire. “So, you came back to Skyrim to live on your own?”

“Yes, but it hasn’t been that long. Teldryn taught me well how to survive, and for that, I will always be grateful. I... I just felt… never mind. It’s not important.” 

Ulfric was good with words, always knowing the right thing to say, but that was for politics and war. It wasn’t for young, upset women who, so he remained silent. 

Anise dug in her pack to distract herself, regretting her talk about Teldryn. She also missed him and her _alma._ She pulled out her sketchbook, the one Teldryn had made for her, and some charcoal. Anise hadn’t sketched in a while, and she was missing it. It always eased her troubled mind.

Using the firelight, she gave sideways glances at Ulfric when he wasn’t looking, so he didn’t know she was drawing him. His face was strong with a smattering of wrinkles and bright blue eyes. His blonde hair disheveled, but it was always that way, always running his hands through it when he was lost in thought. His lack of perfection in his hair was incongruent to the rigidity of his personality.

Ulfric could see her in deep concentration, moving her sketchbook this way and that, pulling it back to see it from a distance, then go back to drawing. “You are an artist, then?” Ulfric asked, just noticing she was drawing.

“I wouldn’t go that far. It’s not like people buy my work. I just like to sketch. It is one of the few things I indulge in. Even if I don’t have a lot of coin, I always make sure I have a sketchbook and a piece of charcoal.”

“Can I see?”

Anise wasn’t embarrassed or insecure with her work, but she wasn’t sure how he would take it if he figured out she was drawing him.

He could see her hesitancy, assuming she didn’t want him to know she was drawing him. “You are drawing me as I watched you glance in my direction several times. It’s okay, but you could have asked,” he said as if reading her mind.

She held up her sketchbook to show him. 

He tried to glance at the small sketchbook, but she was almost directly across from him. “I can’t see that far in the dark, can you bring it closer?”

Anise stood and sat next to Ulfric, handing her sketchbook over to him. He looked at his own face staring back at him. She captured his unruly hair well, though a bit dismayed that he had more wrinkles than he thought.

“Do I really appear that old?” he asked.

She wasn’t sure if he wanted her to answer or if it was a rhetorical question, so she shrugged. “Many of your adult Nords look old to us since we live so long. But, I... I think you look fine...”

“ _Lies, you think handsome tell him_ ,” Alkiirvur interrupted.

“ _Shut it, dragon!_ ”

“ _Why keep secret? Dragons get what they want. You are_ nid viing dovah, _wingless dragon, and you want_.”

“ _I have my reasons. Mind your business. Besides, just because I find him handsome doesn’t mean I like the man or even want him._ ”

“Do you mind if I look through it?” Ulfric asked.

Anise shook her head. So, Ulfric looked through the rest of her sketchbook, seeing several sketches, mostly of Dunmer, but a few were Nords and several of an older male Dunmer. “Is this your father?”

Anise yanked her sketchbook from his hands and closed it. “It doesn’t matter.”

“You are very good. You have a wonderful way of capturing faces and moods.”

“Thanks,” she mumbled, feeling shy.

Her work impressed Ulfric, and he didn’t impress easily. “Would you make a sketch for me?”

“Maybe. My drawings are kind of private.”

“I could pay you, of course.”

The thought of being paid for her art was intriguing, and the fact that he liked her drawings enough to pay for one made her feel proud of her work. “Can I think about it?”

“By all means.”

Not knowing what else to say to her, he stood up to go to his bedroll when his lower back tightened up, groaning in pain.

“What’s wrong,” she asked.

“I’m fine,” he said through gritted teeth as he wobbled over to his bedroll. He couldn’t afford to appear weak in front of others.

“Horker shit. Stop! Where does it hurt?”

“I’m fine—”

“Oh, stop being such a martyr. I can heal whatever pains you are having. It doesn’t make you weak or less manly. Besides, you can’t walk the rest of the way if you are hurting this much. You need to remove your armor,” she said, as her hands glowed with a restoration spell.

“Fine, but I need help to remove it,” Ulfric said, relenting.

Anise untied leather strips, unbuckled straps, letting the metal and leather fall gently to the ground. Once all his armor was off, she asked him where he hurt. He tried to point to spots in his lower back and in between his shoulder blades.

She lifted his tunic to press her healing hand to those areas, but he quickly stepped away from her—too quickly as his back spasmed, making him groan again in pain.

“As if I have never seen man flesh before. It’s just your back, my lord. Nothing to be modest about.”

“It’s not that. It… never mind. Just do it,” he said, letting out a frustrated sigh.

Anise lifted his tunic up from his back and draped the fabric over his broad shoulders. She understood why he didn’t want her to see. Grisly scars covered his back, sending a wave of empathy for the man, wondering who could do such a thing. She traced the scars with delicate fingers, watching him flinch.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know—”

“How could you possibly? I don’t want your pity, girl.”

“Right... manly stuff. Got it,” she said as Anise ran a glowing hand through knotted muscle between his shoulder blades and down through his back.

“Is that why you didn’t want to carry your pack? You must have residual pain from all this.”

“I’m just not used to carrying things,” he said, maintaining his strong exterior.

“You know it’s okay to admit you hurt. You don’t have to pretend you don’t carry things because you’re some delicate noble. If you had so much pain, I would have accommodated.”

“I can show no signs of weakness.”

“Signs of weakness and pain makes one relatable. People like relatable,” she said.

“And enemies use it against you.”

“More people would support you if they relate to you to defeat your enemies. Once you defeat your enemies, it won’t matter. Your people will.”

“There are always enemies.”

“I wouldn’t know. I’m not a Noble,” she relented.

Ulfric closed his eyes at her gentle touches and let out a quiet sigh of relief. It wasn’t sexual, but it was a long time since a woman touched him last. He didn’t like people to see his scars. It wasn’t from embarrassment as much as it was not appearing weak in front of others. He didn’t want people to know the extent of his torture from the Thalmor. He also didn’t want their pity.

His body relaxed as she ran her soft touches down his back, the pain easing. When she finished, she removed her hand and pulled down his tunic. His back felt cold and empty.

“Thank you,” he muttered.

Something flippant almost escaped her mouth, but Anise remained silent. “You’re welcome.” Despite him not wanting her pity, he had it. No one deserved that kind of torture.

“Well, goodnight,” he said as he laid down, not wanting to face her after all that. He felt weak, not used to being vulnerable in front of others. 

“Good night, my lord.”

_“I correct you like him_ ,” Alkiirvur said after being quiet most of the day.

“ _Now you talk... No, he’s old and a jerk. I just feel sorry for him_.”

“ _You like, I know,_ dur gein.”

“ _It doesn’t matter. He’s going to be king one day, probably, and I’m just an ugly ‘_ dur gein _._ ’”

“ _He not see ugly or_ dur gein.”

“ _Shut up, or I start calling you ‘Al.’_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: Finding shelter through a blizzard.


	14. Blizzards and Bandits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alkiirvur tries to get used to moving in Anise's body. Anise and Ulfric get stuck in a blizzard and have to quickly find shelter. They both find ruins to stay in, but it is overrun with bandits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading and commenting! It means so much!! <3
> 
> I hope everyone is staying safe!

Anise and Ulfric sat by a newly stoked fire, eating a breakfast of some cheese and an apple each. The temperature was dropping, and the clouds overhead thickened. _I hope we don’t get any rain or snow, causing a further delay getting him home_ , she thought, looking up at the ominous sky.

“ _I like your body_ ,” Alkiirvur said. 

“Excuse me? That doesn’t sound appropriate,” she said out loud by mistake.

“Your dragon?” Ulfric asked, but was more of a statement.

Anise nodded. “Apparently, he likes my body.”

Ulfric choked on his apple at her admission as she patted his back. It was something he noticed as well. Most women covered themselves in loose dresses, while her delicate leather armor fit her lithe form like a glove. Years of scrubbing and training as a mercenary had left the girl quite lean and fit, though he didn’t understand why a dragon in her head would think such things.

“You think wrong. I want to use it,” the dragon said out loud.

“That still came out wrong,” she informed him. Anise understood he did not mean it inappropriately, but she couldn’t help but tease the dragon, though she also couldn’t figure out what he wanted. She heard the dragon’s irritable snorting in her head, trying not to laugh.

“ _Ruth_ (damn)! No! I need... practice move your body,” Alkiirvur replied in frustration.

Ulfric heard the exchange and tried to clarify things for Anise. “I believe the dragon would like to practice moving as you do.”

“Yes, _mal joor_ correct. I practice. We fight. I need know how you move so I do not what you say... fly you off cliff...”

“We do not have time for this, dragon,” Ulfric interjected. “Practice later. We need to get to Windhelm.”

“Dragon rise, Alduin awakens them. _Dur gein_ know not how to fight dragons. I have to help. I know _thu’um_.”

Ulfric was insistent they move on and not delay any longer. “She will learn her shouts when she gets to High Hrothgar and meets the Graybeards. They will help her.”

“I will teach words. She kill dragon for souls. She learns with me. _Joore_ not help.”

“And, I’m telling you, we need—”

Anise tired of the back and forth. It was a strange thing to have a being arguing using her voice, but not in her mind. It was still taking some getting used to. “Stop! You both realize I am right here, correct? We will stop talking about my body as if I have no say in the matter.” 

Once the two grew silent, Anise continued. “So let me get this straight, Alkiirvur, you want to use my body to practice moving around should something happen, and you need to fight in my stead?”

“Yes, I fight.”

“I can handle myself,” she huffed, though she had doubts she could handle fighting a dragon. _No, no doubts about it. I definitely cannot fight a dragon. The last one almost scared the pee out of me._

“You can fight, I see, but dragon different.”

Anise relented, if only for a little while. If this dragon learned to use her body and help her fight, all the better. “If I give you control of my body, I want it back when I say, and I want to remain aware of what is going on. Understood?”

“Now hold on, girl. We need to get moving,” Ulfric demanded.

Anise scowled at the man, stood close, and jammed a finger in his armored chest. “It’s Anise. Stop calling me girl. Everyone is always calling me a girl! I’m a grown _n’chow_ woman! And if I do this, we will just do it for a little while.”

Ulfric was not used to people talking back to him and arguing. Anise was clearly not that skittish girl he met the first time. He appreciated her dauntlessness, but he was paying her to get him back, and they needed to move on. He relented if they didn’t waste too much time.

“You have your body and think I need you help to guide,” Alkiirvur tried to explain.

“Fine, but just for a moment. The Jarl is right. We have to get going. I don’t like the look of that sky.”

As soon as the dragon took over Anise’s body, her arms flapped about and twirled to keep her upright, but she fell to the ground like a rag doll. “Oof!” _Ow, that hurt._

She laid on her back limply, glaring at the blonde Nord as he suppressed a laugh. “I’m not a _n’chow_ chicken! The first thing you need to learn is not to let my body just fall to the ground. You have muscles; use them. Use my hands and arms, which would be your wings, to push my body up.”

She could sense the dragon struggle to get the hands and arms situated correctly to push up her body as instructed, but it was awkward as he tried to bend her elbows in the opposite direction. Anise’s fell back again from the pain in her arms.

“OK, that’s enough pain for one day. We will try again later.”

“I not done.”

“Yes, you are. At this rate, you’re going to break one of my bones. When we get some time, I will visualize how to do this properly, and you mimic that. Sound good?”

“Very well, _dur gein_ ,” Alkiirvur relented, relinquishing control over Anise’s body.

Ulfric just watched the whole scene, grateful no one else could, but it was entertaining to watch her body try to fly and flap around with only arms. He tried not to chuckle, but he almost laughed outright as she glared at him in his amusement.

“What is your dragon calling you? What is ‘ _dur gein’_?” Ulfric asked, curious.

“He’s calling me ‘cursed one.’”

“Why would he call you such a thing? You two share one mind and soul.”

Anise stood up and dusted the dirt and grass off of her armor and out of her hair. “I don’t think Alkiirvur means anything by it. It is what I am, is it not? I’m not aware how much you are familiar with the Dunmer, but Azura cursed my people. It is why we look like we do. We were Chimer first, then after the curse, we became Dunmer or ‘cursed elves.’ It’s a long story.”

“I have read a lot about your people, believe it or not. I make a point of knowing all the beings in this province.”

“I’m sure it wasn’t out of educational curiosity, but to learn of your enemies, knowing you.”

“You are not wrong. I need to know all I can of all the inhabitants of Skyrim.”

“I guess that makes sense,” she relented, not wanting to argue with the man. They were just now showing grudging respect for each other.

A few hours later, the first signs of snow fell from the dark skies. Anise looked up to the clouds and groaned in frustration. _Damn, I was hoping it wouldn’t snow_. “I hope this is all it does today because we need no more delays.”

Ulfric felt the same as her. “I agree, but it will snow harder. You should be very familiar with Skyrim weather after living years in Windhelm.”

“Yes, it’s telling me it’s going to get worse. We better speed things up and see if we can find some sort of shelter before then... that is, if you can,” she said, looking at him with concern.

“What do you mean, ‘if I can?’” he huffed.

Anise held up her hands in defense. “No offense intended. I just mean you were in a lot of pain yesterday, and I don’t want to cause more of it by speeding things up.”

Instead of being offended, her concern touched Ulfric, but he didn’t understand why she cared. “I will be fine. You did a good job ridding me of my pain last night.”

“I’m glad. Fine, let’s keep moving then, and please let me know if you are hurting. I will heal you again.”

Ulfric nodded. Regardless of her offer and kindness, he didn’t enjoy appearing vulnerable. He always hid his pain, whether it was physical or emotional.

“I like snow, I am frost,” Alkiirvur announced out of the blue, strangely in a good mood because of the change in weather.

“What do you mean you are frost?” Anise asked.

“I am frost dragon. I am ice, and you fire. Good together to fight enemies.”

“Doesn’t fire melt ice and ice put out fire?” she asked.

“Yes, but together kill better.”

“I hear you in my head, Alkiirvur, but I have no visions of your memories or what you even look like.”

“I not let you.”

“Yes, you said, but why?”

“No trust,” he said simply.

“Why would you not trust me? We are stuck together, are we not? I betray you is the same as betraying myself. Why would I do such a thing?”

“I see _dur gein_ point. Yes, I show.” Alkiirvur allowed Anise in his head and gave her a visual of himself. She could see him looking just like ice with his blue and white scales, covered in spikes along his body. There were two great horns on his snout and two larger ones on top of his head. His eyes looked like the color of glaciers, blue but almost white.

“You are quite the handsome dragon,” she finally said.

“ _Kogaan_ (blessings)... thank you.”

Ulfric was silent during the exchange but was curious too what her dragon looked like. “What does Alkiirvur look like, Anise?”

“He is beautifully blue and white with ice-blue eyes. Quite the creature.” Anise could almost sense the blushing, yet proud feelings coming from the dragon, but he said nothing.

“To change the subject, Alkiirvur, I would like you to focus on how I move. Watch and try to figure out how the muscles and bones work together. You are in my head, and there is no reason for you not to pay attention. I think you are resistant because you want to remain in a dragon’s body, but you are not.”

“I will do as you say, _dur gein_.”

The winds picked up as the snow fell in thick clumps to the ground. Then, as the temperatures plummeted, the snowflakes grew less billowy and soft. With heads down against the strengthening winds and nowhere to hide, Anise and Ulfric pushed forward.

“This is going to get worse, I’m afraid!” Ulfric yelled out over the gusting wind.

Anise said nothing, wanting to conserve all her energy to find shelter as fast as possible.

Her shivering was uncontrollable as her teeth chattered when the snow melted on her warm skin and soaking through her armor. She and Ulfric had hooded cloaks lined with fur, but it wasn’t enough against the snowy torment. Periodically, she would use her flame cloak to warm her up, and it helped for a bit, but it also melted the snow faster on her body, soaking her through and through. _That was a bad idea_ , she thought miserably.

“There!” Shouted Ulfric.

Anise looked at where he was pointing through the densely falling snow. There was a speck of light in the distance. She didn’t know if it was a house, a fort, or some ruins. All they could see was some light and hustled towards it.

As the two got closer, they readied their swords. Where there was light, there would be people, but what type of people was another story. The closer they got, the they could see the outline of some ancient Nordic ruins. Anise hated ruins with the smell of death and mold, the air usually stagnant, but at least it would provide shelter away from the snow and wind.

“Don’t come any further!” yelled a man in the distance, seeing the two approach.

“Please, we need shelter!” Anise yelled back through the wind.

“You come any closer, you die!”

“We don’t have time for this... we need to kill them, or else we will die. They are just bandits,” Ulfric said. It was more of an order than a suggestion.

“Let me try once more. I don’t want to just kill without being sure.”

“Please, we don’t want to fight, and we don’t need any supplies. We just need some shelter. It is freezing out, in case you haven’t noticed!” Anise yelled out once more, hoping the man would see reason.

“No! Any closer, and you die!”

Anise, shivering, knowing she and Ulfric would die if they didn’t get shelter soon, had no choice. She cursed under her breath as she cast her fireball at the man. He flew backward against the ancient stone wall, burned to death. She and Ulfric ran towards the ruin overhang for shelter, confronted with another bandit. Ulfric decapitated the woman with his sword.

“We cannot stay here even if it is out of the snow. We will die of exposure and must go inside,” The Jarl ordered.

Anise nodded as they made their way into the ruins. Swords raised, the two found themselves confronted with six more bandits. The room was dark, except for a few candles lighting the windowless chamber, making it hard to see.

“ _B’vehk!”_ Anise shouted in frustration. 

Everyone was at a standstill, if only for a moment to assess the situation before the bandits attacked the duo. Anise fired off another fireball, sending an unfortunate bandit to his death as she clashed swords with another. She spun and danced, cutting with her sword until she plunged her sword into his chest.

Ulfric was busy fighting off two more bandits at once. While graceful with his one-handed fighting style, he was more comfortable with the two-handed type, preferring his great-ax. 

The remaining two bandits, instead of attacking her, went straight for Ulfric, deeming him the biggest threat. _Ulfric can’t fight off four of them_. Before Anise reacted or Ulfric used his shout, she shouted out in dragon at the bandits. “ _LIZ SLEN NUS_!”

Three of the four bandits froze in place, covered in ice. Anise didn’t hesitate to take them out with her sword before they unfroze. Once they were dead, Ulfric killed the last bandit.

Both of them were panting from the exertion and exhausted from treading through the snowstorm. The ruins were not much warmer, but they didn’t have time to rest as they dragged the bodies outside away from the ruins so animals wouldn’t draw near.

Back inside, Anise fell to her knees with uncontrollable shivering, fingers pressed inside her leather jacket to warm her hands. Her icy hands pressed against her warmer flesh made her shiver that much more. The melted snow soaked her as it penetrated her bones. They couldn’t even start a fire in the chamber, or else they would asphyxiate from smoke inhalation.

“Remove your armor,” Ulfric demanded.

“W… won’t that m… make me c… colder?” she stuttered.

“You need to dry and quickly.”

Wanting to warm up with her bedroll, she went to her bag to retrieve it. “ _N’chow!_ Our bedrolls are soaked!” she yelled in frustration, pulling them off their packs to lay them out to dry.

Ulfric could see her reluctance in stripping down, but she had no choice. “I know. Take off your armor if you don’t want to die.”

“T… turn around, then... p… please.”

Ulfric turned around so she could remove her armor and wet clothes, which she struggled with, she was shaking so much. It felt like her teeth were going to shatter in her mouth from the chattering. The cold nearly paralyzed her. She had one dry tunic in her bag that remained untouched by the wet snow and put that on, leaving her legs bare. 

While she was changing, Ulfric cursed himself for not removing fur and pelts from the bandits before they threw them outside. It was too late now, having to make due. _Maybe it’s just as well... probably covered in fleas and piss_. He then removed his own armor, and because most of his armor was metal, his clothes remained relatively dry. He removed his tunic as well, so Anise could get the most out of his body heat.

Ulfric sat with his back against the cold stone wall. While he was tolerant of frigid temperatures, it didn’t mean he didn’t get cold as goosebumps formed on his body. He held one arm raised outwards. “Come. Quickly now,” he ordered, then saw she was dressed in a tunic. “No, I’m sorry, but you need to take off the tunic. You will not get enough heat that way, but you can lay it on top of you.”

She wrapped her arms around her body, shivering as she looked at him like he was insane. “I... I... ca... can... use my... f... fire cloak.”

“And how long will that last you? You cannot maintain it all night, and we may be here for days. Let’s keep up your energy.” When she didn’t move, he tried again. “Anise, this is no time for modesty. Your gray skin is now blue. You are freezing to death. I can get you warm. Come. I can give you body heat longer than your spell.”

With reluctance, Anise removed her tunic and covered her chest with her arms, even though her breasts were secured in linen strips. The freezing temperature overcame her embarrassment as she sat down next to him, curling up her legs as close to her body as she could. Ulfric draped Anise’s tunic over her legs and his large one on top of them to help hold the heat in. The Jarl put his arms around her and pulled her into an embrace as he held her close with warm, rubbing hands.

“Wha... why aren... you... fu... freezing?” she asked through chattering teeth.

“I am cold, but Nords are equipped to handle frigid temperatures... I’m also not soaking wet. Our bodies run hotter than most; that is why I’m able to warm you up.”

“No... no wonder... yo... you all... can live…. i... in forsaken... Win... Windhelm,” she griped.

Ulfric barked out a laugh. “Indeed.” He could feel Anise shivering less and less as she warmed up. 

“You did a _thu’um_... a shout against those bandits. That is something that took me years to master, and you just did it out of the blue.”

“A shout? Is that what that was? That was not me.”

“Yes, me did _thu’um_. Help, I did. Why you _dur gein_ so cold? I am ice dragon and you fire!” Alkiirvur complained using Anise’s voice.

“Thank you, Alkiirvur, for your help,” Ulfric said gratefully.

“You welcome,” the dragon said, surprised by Ulfric’s appreciation.

Anise’s shivering settled down as Ulfric’s warmth spread through her body. She grew sleepy as she rested her head on his warm, broad shoulder. 

“Do you feel better?” Ulfric asked, startling her awake.

“Hmm? Yes. You feel so good... like a warm blanket,” said, her voice groggy, digging her face into his warm neck.

Ulfric chuckled under his breath, feeling his face flush. “Sorry, I woke you. Go to sleep now.”

She just nodded, her head on his shoulder, falling asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I love the half-naked warms bodies trope :D
> 
> Next: Anise and Ulfric trapped for a few days fighting boredom.


	15. Trapped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anise and Ulfric are trapped together for at least a few days in some creepy ruins and try to keep each other busy. What better time than to discuss racist issues? Anise discovers just how intrusive it is to have another being rattling around in her head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and commenting! <3
> 
> Hope everyone is well!

Ulfric woke up, head in a fog from an uncomfortable night of sleep as his eyes burned and tried to adjust to the dim light with one candle still burning. As his vision cleared, he looked down, noticing he was still holding Anise. She had one arm draped over his torso, and her leg draped over his own legs as a lover might. He was uncomfortable, but he didn’t want to move her and wake her up, so he tolerated it. 

Her head was on his chest, hair spilling in her face, and he had an urge to brush the hair away. It seemed such a small thing, but it rang of intimacy, so he did nothing.

As Anise stirred awake, her fingers drag across his skin as they ran up and down his stomach, giving him goosebumps. He felt the tight muscles in her legs as she stretched. 

Apparently, she wasn’t ready to get up as she laid there, her body heavy with sleep. Last night was one of urgency, but now that she was out of danger, he couldn’t help but note her half-naked form. His tunic slipped off during the night, leaving her exposed. It was strange to see her darkness against his own fair skin. Ulfric looked around and found his tunic, draping it over her once more.

It was anything but intimate, but he couldn’t help as something else stirred inside him. Long forgotten urges and touches of a woman permeated his mind. _When was the last time I had been with a woman, let alone held one? I’ve lost count of the years I have been so busy... more like avoiding._ It was the first time he was this close to a woman who wasn’t a Nord, so Anise was a bit out of his comfort zone, not that she wasn’t attractive. 

She called herself ugly, but that was not what he saw. She may not be pretty to other Dunmer, but she was to him with her shapely eyes and rounder face. Unable to stop himself, he ran delicate fingers along her arm, resting on him. Her skin was soft, and he felt himself stir between his legs, which surprised him. _It must have been longer than I thought for such a small thing to excite me_. Not wanting to let himself get aroused, he woke her up.

“Come on... time to get up,” he said as he tried to sit up.

“Mmm, not yet, blanket. I’m too comfortable and warm.” She pulled him in tighter when tried to move her off of him.

A brief burst of nervous laughter escaped his lips. “I’m glad you are comfortable, but I have to move. I think I have been in the same position all night.” It wasn’t a lie, but he didn’t want to admit the real reason he needed her off of him.

Anise quickly got up, not wanting to hurt him, remembering his pain from before. “Oh, I’m sorry. Do you hurt? Can I heal you?” she asked as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and stifled a yawn.

“I am fine. Thank you.” 

“Not quite,” she responded as she looked at his face. “It seems they injured you last night. I’m sorry for not paying attention earlier.” Anise reached for his face, touching the bruises and swelling of his nose. He moved away from her hand, but she grabbed the back of his head, holding him still as she healed him, running delicate fingers along his face and nose. 

Ulfric tried to look anywhere but her chest as she bent his head forward. She was so close, and he had no choice. It was that or stare right into her eyes. Her breasts were fuller than he thought despite being bound. The tops were trying to spill over the strips of cloth… _Stop looking at her like this._ He shut his eyes to calm any arousal that was forming in his body and tried to pull away again, indicating he was fine.

He got up and did several stretches, working out the stiff muscles in his body, facing away from her to hide his growing erection. “Let me check outside on where we stand on this storm. Hopefully, it has moved on.”

“I will check if we have anything edible then,” she said.

As Anise watched him put his tunic back on and head outside, she dug in their packs to see what food they had left. She only brought enough for a few days, not nearly enough if they were stuck there for a while.

“ _He like you_ ,” said Alkiirvur out of nowhere.

“ _I’m his guide, helping him. He just wants me to live so I can get him home safely.”_

“ _No, he like you. He touch you aroused... I sense.”_

“ _What do you mean he touched me and got aroused? He better not have done anything that would require me to break a few fingers.”_ She grew angry that he would take advantage of her half-nakedness in the guise of protecting her and keeping her warm.

“ _No, not bad, just lightly touch arm, but he like you. You like him too.”_

“ _Okay, arm touching is fine as long as he did nothing inappropriate. That doesn’t mean he likes me. As for me liking him, he’s growing on me, I guess_.”

“ _You should take him, you want_.”

“ _I’m not taking anything, dragon. That’s not how it works.”_

“ _He like he will accept_.”

“ _No! Leave it alone! Why do you care anyway?”_

“ _I curious what it feels_.”

The revelation shocked anise. “ _You want to know what sex feels like?_ N’chow! _I have a perverted dragon in my head!”_

“ _Dragon do not mate; we immortal. No children, no need_ ,” Alkiirvur explained.

“ _Well, that stinks for you, but I’m not having sex with Ulfric so you can derive some sort of demented pleasure from it or feed your curiosity._ B’vehk! _Does this mean I can never have sex again! I don’t need you to watch something so private.”_ Anise shuddered at the disturbing thought.

“ _You can tell me to close off.”_

“ _Close off? As in my mind?”_

“ _Yes.”_

“ _Oh, well, that is something, at least. Enough about sex and Ulfric, please. I need to think straight.”_

Ulfric took longer to return than expected, glad she didn’t come looking for him. Being near her half-naked form, almost face to face with her breasts, left him highly aroused, and he had to relieve himself before he returned. It was never the same thing, nor as good as being with a woman, but it was at least a release. He didn’t want her to catch him hardened, making them both uncomfortable.

When he finished touching himself, he found a couple of packs left behind by the bandits under the sheltered entrance. Fortunately, the wind blew in a different direction, keeping the snow out and the bags dry.

“It is still storming out there, but I sense it will be over by tonight or tomorrow. The snow is deep, at least a foot, so expect more,” he announced when he returned and tossed the two packs in her direction. He couldn’t help the disappointment, seeing her tunic back on, though her shapely legs were still visible. “I also found these. They belonged to the bandits. Perhaps they left some food.”

“Great! Our food is dwindling unless you want soggy old bread and over-ripe, bruised fruit. We still have some dried meats, that seem fine.”

Anise rifled in the bandit packs, pulling out a couple of books, which was strange. She never expected bandits to be literate enough to read. There was also a large woolen blanket scarf that Anise wrapped herself in for added warmth. She was getting cold again with no fire and no Ulfric the Blanket. There were also a couple of apples, some cheese, and a few bottles of mead. It wasn’t enough to tie them over, but at least they would not starve to death.

As they sat next to each other for warmth eating a light snack to ration their food, Alkiirvur indicated he wanted to practice moving in Anise’s body again, which she agreed to since there was nothing else better to do.

“My lord, would you mind watching over my body to make sure the clumsy dragon doesn’t break my bones on the hard stone ground?”

“You clumsy, not me,” Alkiirvur scoffed at her.

“Well, you thinking my body is a dragon, flapping arms like a wingless bird, does not help, ‘ _Al.’_ ”

“I watch and see I think I can do like you.”

At least Anise was already standing, so there would be no struggles to get up this time. Alkiirvur spread out her arms as if they were wings for balance and spread her legs apart, then put one foot in front of the other. 

Ulfric was nearby, arms out in case she fell over as she took baby steps in his direction. Anise looked ridiculous as she waddled forward as an infant might, taking its first steps. He smirked at the image but held back any laughter.

“I must look ridiculous to you the way you are scrunching your face like that, trying not to laugh.”

Ulfric choked back a snigger. “Well, it’s not every day I get to see an adult woman toddle like an infant learning to walk.”

“Ha, ha... you’re hilarious.”

“So far so good,” Anise said, pleased the dragon didn’t let her body drop to the ground despite how silly she looked.

“It not easy. I walk four legs easier. Strange to not have tail. How you balance?”

“I’m not sure. We just do.”

When Alkiirvur got closer to Ulfric, he lunged Anise’s body into Ulfric’s arms as the man caught her and lifted her up. 

Anise felt the blush creep into her face, turning her gray skin purple as she looked up at Ulfric. “ _You did that on purpose!”_ she chided the dragon in her head.

“ _Yes, it fun.”_

“ _Body... now!”_

“ _I not done_.”

“ _Oh yes, you are, ‘Al.’ If you throw my body at Ulfric once more, I will never allow you to use it again.”_

“ _You not fun. Very well_ ,” Alkiirvur reluctantly agreed.

“N’chow _perverted dragon!”_

“Uhm, sorry, my lord. He is still getting the hang of things,” she lied, noting that Ulfric hadn’t let her go. _Perhaps the dragon isn’t wrong._

“It is fine. Are you done then?”

“Yes, I believe so.”

Gently pushing away from his warm grasp, she laid out the blanket scarf to sit on, tired of being on the cold stone floor with their bedrolls still damp. Then she went to light a few more candles to make it less dim and creepy.

There was an awkward silence between the two, not knowing what to talk about. Anise was cold as she sat down on the blanket, but she used her fire cloak to warm her up, for the time being, jealous that Ulfric had no such weaknesses like shivering and teeth chattering.

Anise watched him sit down, cross-legged across from her on the icy floor. She wanted to ask him a question, unsure how he would respond or even respond at all, but she had to know.

“Can I ask you a personal question, my lord?”

He stiffened with her question, not sure what she was going to ask, but he knew he probably wouldn’t like it, especially if it was personal. “It depends on the question. You ask, and I will decide to answer or not.”

“Fair enough.” She found herself nervous, fidgeting with the ends of her tunic, unable to meet his eyes. “Uhm, why do you hate my people so much?”

It was not a question he was expecting, so he had to think about how he wanted to respond, if at all. He had no reason not to answer her. “I do not hate your people, Anise.”

She tried not to scoff at his response. “Really? I have to admit that surprises me.”

“It's not hate per se. I admit I was angry at first that Windhelm was forced to take in the refugees. I had nothing against them, but I didn’t see any other city taking you all in and helping. We gave for a while, but few of you worked to change your plight or improve your lives.”

“I get my people are a pain in the ass sometimes, and I think we should try to work harder with you, Nords, but—”

“They could get more help if they fought alongside us in this war. They are now people of Skyrim, too,” Ulfric interrupted. 

“I wasn’t finished. You need to understand that while I may believe we should work harder, I also understand why they do not want to work closely with the Nords. You may not personally hate us, but many Nords of Windhelm do and believe you do too. They are nasty, threaten to kill us, accuse us of being Imperial spies, and much more. Your Nord men raped a couple of girls in the Gray Quarter that we know of.”

“I... didn’t know that.”

“You should know that. Windhelm is your city. You may not hate us, but you’re at best, indifferent. Your people think you hate us, and it emboldens them to treat us horribly. I don’t always agree with my people, but I understand that it is hard to work together with the very people that hate them. The hate is what keeps my people so isolated and unwilling to make changes.”

Ulfric got defensive and angry at the whole discussion. _I suffered too, dammit! “_ You know, I have struggled as well. I have fought in wars, the Thalmor imprisoned me. I missed the death of my father and his funeral, forcing me to smuggle out his eulogy! They tortured me! I lost...” He couldn’t finish, his anger bubbling over. 

Anise tried to remain calm through his outburst. She didn’t want so angry he wouldn’t listen, but she wished to be heard and understood. “I know you struggled too. I’ve seen your scars, but what you, your family gave to you—your wealth, your castle, your privilege.” 

Ulfric was silent, but Anise hoped he was hearing her. She wasn’t trying to offend him but needed him to understand.

“If you suffered, then surely you can understand and be more empathetic to those that suffer too. To me, that makes it even worse that you struggled, and yet you still ignore the suffering of others in your very own city. You should know better!” Despite her trying to be calm, Anise got flustered too as she stood, pacing back and forth, preparing to lecture the man.

“My mother and I have nothing. I gave most of my hard-earned coin to her so she could help feed our people. I saved a little, but don’t you think I wanted to get out and have a life of my own? Instead, I continued to live with my mother. It wasn’t until that damned guard tried to kill me that forced my hand to flee. Yes, I have independence and I got out, but it came at a steep cost. Otherwise, I would still be in Windhelm giving my hard-earned money to my people. I never asked for a handout, but it would have been nice to have more opportunities! The poor are being taken care of by people who can barely take care of themselves!”

Ulfric wanted to be angry, but perhaps she was right. Maybe he was out of touch with what was going on in his city. He was so singularly focused on his war. “I have a war to deal with at the moment. Which is more important right now.” After her entire speech, his reasoning appeared weak.

“Whether you win this war or lose it, you will lose your followers or potential allies if you ignore their plight! Not to mention your inaction is emboldening the Nords of Windhelm to do horrible things to us. When you do nothing about that, our situation gets worse. Your complacency is just as bad.” Anise was angry at his lack of understanding. She saw the Nords’ side of things, but as a Dunmer, she saw what her own people went through as well. It was frustrating.

She huffed and sat on the blanket, her fire cloak long gone, as she shivered with arms wrapped around her body. 

He could see how angry she was, making him feel guilty. _Maybe she is right that I have been so out of touch with what was going on in my city. If I am to be a good Jarl, I must pay attention to everything in my hold, not just focus on the war._ In such a short time, he grew to like Anise, which surprised him—yes, because she was Dunmer. He never got to know one, and now that the situation forced him to interact with her, he appreciated her intellect and insightfulness.

“You are cold again,” he said as a truce, sitting down next to her to warm her up. When he reached for her, she shrugged him off. “I am sorry I upset you. I have to admit I have this war has preoccupied my life. You are not wrong that I need to spend more time paying attention to my Hold as well. Since I met you, it taught me to see you and your people differently. You seem like a good and intelligent person, Anise.”

Anise looked at him in the eyes. She wanted to know if he was telling the truth or if he was just placating her. 

“ _He tells truth_ ,” Alkiirvur answered her question in her head.

She moved her body closer to him as he wrapped an arm around her for warmth. 

“I will see what I can do when I get back,” Ulfric promised her.

“That is all I ask. Thank you, my lord. And knowing you also taught me to see you differently.”

“ _You mate now, yes_?”

“ _Perverted dragon_.”

She could hear a deep laugh in her head, making her smile, knowing Alkiirvur was teasing her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: The snows have stopped and they can continue onward to Windhelm.


	16. Fresh Air

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Man, woman, cooped up for days together... things start to get a little heated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and commenting! I appreciate it so much! Would love to know what you think so far
> 
> Stay healthy and safe!

It was day three that Anise and Ulfric had been trapped in the old, dank ruins, not including the night they arrived. Anise wanted to complain more, but she didn’t hate having to warm up against Ulfric as they got familiar with each other. Last night, he told her stories of growing up and personal adventures during happier times, and she regaled him with her own misadventures with Teldryn, making him laugh.

_“_ — _so, I had never seen a giant frostbite spider before, and I ended up screaming and climbing on Teldryn’s back, throwing fireballs in every direction. I managed to miss all the giant hairy monsters. Needless to say, he had to kill them all on his own with me clinging on his back.”_

He was sleeping behind her, arm wrapped around her torso, but sometime in the night, he slipped his hand under her tunic. He touched nothing he shouldn’t have, but at that point, she wouldn’t have cared. There was something about being half-naked and snuggling next to a man for three days. Especially a strong and handsome one, which was doing her no favors to her lady parts. She understood it was out of necessity, but it felt good, too, and wondered if he thought the same.

Then doubt crept into her mind. What a foolish notion. _Why would he? I’m a poor Dunmer, and he’s the Jarl of Windhelm. How could a man like him like you, Anise? Don’t be stupid. But it’s not like I’m going to marry the guy. It’s just sex. Surely he has sex, right?_ She tried to convince herself, but deep down, it wasn’t just about the sex. She had grown to like the big brooding man.

She rolled over and pressed her body into him, careful not to wake him, feigning sleep as she wrapped her arm around his back and nuzzled her face into his throat. The hand that had been in her tunic slipped to her back as he instinctively ran gentle fingers along her skin before sleep caught him again, sending shivers on her skin. 

Anise gently slid a knee in between his thighs. All for the purpose of getting warm, of course. The movement made him stir once more as he wrapped his other arm around her, holding her in an embrace.

Her nuzzled face moved ever so gently so that her lips were touching his throat without actually kissing him. The move was subtle yet intimate as something stirred in between her legs. She could tell he was waking as he ran his hands along her back once more.

_Fortune favors the bold, right?_ She asked in her head as she pressed gentle kisses along his throat and his chin, which was now growing out into a thick blonde beard, sprinkled with gray. It looked good on him.

Ulfric woke up to find his hands were inside her tunic, and she was kissing his throat and chin. He could sense the heat creep up his face and around his ears. It was an accident that his hands were inappropriately in her tunic, forgetting she wasn’t even wearing a tunic the first day. He also did not expect to wake up by her delicate kisses. Ulfric froze, unsure of how to react. Her knee was between his thighs and worried she sensed his hardness, which didn’t help his embarrassment. _Why should I be embarrassed? She seems to want this. Be honest... it is because you haven’t been with a woman in years._

Anise realized he was awake, not pushing her away, so she grew bolder as she planted kisses on his face. She ran her hand underneath his tunic and along his back, feeling all his scars, pleased he didn’t flinch with her touch. Her eyes were on his to see his reaction to her. He may not have stopped her, but he did nothing in return either, his body rigid.

He grew hard against her thigh, but he still made no move to reciprocate. Her face turned to fire because of his lack of reaction and stopped kissing his face, pulling away from him. “I... I’m so sorry. I guess we better—”

Ulfric pulled her back into him, realizing his inaction embarrassed her. That was not his intention. He just took too long to figure out what he wanted to do about it, causing her to pull away. She didn’t snuggle back up to him, but she didn’t leave either, her uncertain eyes gazing into his. 

He grasped Anise’s chin and drew her face to his as he planted a tentative kiss on her lips. She closed her eyes and melted into him with a sigh. Her tongue slipped in his mouth, and at first, he was resistant, but then his own tongue sought hers as they explored each other. Anise pulled her body closer to his, wrapping arms around each other, touching skin.

“ _I knew happen, told you!”_ Alkiirvur blurted out excitedly in her head.

“Shut up, dragon…” Anise said in Ulfric’s mouth, and cringed, not meaning to say it aloud.

Ulfric gently pushed her away, embarrassed once more, forgetting she had another being in her. “Was he watching the whole thing?” he asked.

She could see Ulfric’s face turn red, and she was sure hers was a lovely shade of purple. “Yes, I forgot about him since he hadn’t said one word this morning. I’m so sorry.”

“Why stop?” Alkiirvur asked out loud.

“Because you’re spying on us, and it was wrong and rude! Listen, you are going to have to learn some boundaries, dragon, if you’re going to be in my head.”

“Soul…”

“Whatever! You understand what I mean!” she yelled out, her voice echoing in the chamber.

Ulfric stood up to go outside, quite flustered. Anise reached out to grab his hand to bring him back, but he kept walking.

“Thanks a lot, _Al!_ What a way to ruin the moment,” she hissed at the dragon.

“I do not understand why matter.”

“It matters because two people who kiss or do other intimate things, like to do so in private without others watching. Now Ulfric probably won’t kiss me ever again thanks to you.”

“I sorry, _dur gein_. I understand now.”

“Fine, but it’s too late now. Ulfric will never touch me again after this.”

“He will, he like you. I will teach to close mind, yes.”

“You will teach me to block you out for privacy?”

“Yes.”

“Fine, even so, the damage is done, I think. _N’chow!_ “

She stood and grabbed her leather armor, touching to see that everything was finally dry, if not a bit stiff. She put it on and headed outside to talk to Ulfric about what happened, to apologize once more. She didn’t want that to be their last time they ever kissed, and she was hoping for more. _Why, Anise? Why hope for more. No wonder people still think of you as a child._

When she reached outside, Mudus was out, and it had stopped snowing, but the snow was still deep. She could tell by the temperature that the day would warm up, and the snow would quickly melt. She handed Ulfric an apple, who was sitting down, trying to start a fire. 

Anise breathed in the fresh air through her nose. It smelled so good compared to the smell of death and mold in the ancient ruins, on top of their own bodily odors having not bathed in days. Despite all that, if he wanted more from her, she would not have stopped him.

“I see your armor is dry now, and the snow will melt soon. We should be able to move on by early afternoon... good,” Ulfric said as he grabbed the apple, taking a large bite from it. It was a bit over-ripe but still edible.

“Right... good,” she repeated, biting into her own apple.

She squirmed in mental discomfort, trying to figure out what to say to him. “Ulfric, I’m... I’m so sorry about what happened.”

“Sorry for what? The kiss or your nosy friend?” 

“I’m not sorry for the kiss. I... I enjoyed it. I’m sure you are experienced enough with women to realize I wanted it.”

“Yes,” was all he said, though secretly relieved she didn’t regret it, though not telling her that.

She still stood there and squirmed, shifting from one foot to the other. “I... I would like more of that.” The heat rose in her face despite the frosty morning. It was hard to tell someone how you felt. It made for awkward moments. Anise wanted more, but couldn’t figure out why she bothered. He was the fucking Jarl. But emotions were emotions. She had no control over them.

He looked up at her, warming his hands by the fire he finally got going. “I don’t know, Anise. I have been thinking, and perhaps it is not such a good idea. I’m the Jarl, and you’re—”

“I know. I’m just a Dunmer.” 

“No, that was not what I was going to say. But you are not... nobility. It makes my situation difficult.”

“I’m not asking for marriage, Ulfric. Can you see me as a Jarl’s wife?” Anise laughed out loud at the visual of her wearing fancy clothes going to lavish parties pretending to be something and someone she was not.

But Ulfric didn’t laugh with her. “I just... see you…” was all he said.

His words weren’t romantic, but it changed how she viewed him at that moment. They were simple words, but it was the kindest thing anyone ever said to her. All the years surrounded by cruel, negative people burst through her mind, and she became overwhelmingly emotional, finding herself weeping in her hands. “That was the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.”

Ulfric realized the extent of how badly people treated her, clearly not bothering to get to see how smart, talented, and funny she was. “I am sorry for how others treat you, Anise. I meant what I said, but those words also... cause me concern. It is not necessarily a good thing. I... I have been thinking about you more than I should, and I am not sure it would satisfy me with just a fling. I would always want more, and I cannot have more. I’m at war and... then I have to think of my future. I realize it sounds selfish, but it is the way of things,” he explained, throwing twigs into the fire in frustration.

Anise sat down next to him. “I understand the way of things more than you could know,” she responded, tears still spilling out of her eyes and not just from what he said earlier but how out of reach from him she really was. 

Ulfric reached out and brushed away her tears with his thumb, more comfortable around her to not feel strange from her sadness. “I understand. I’m so sorry.” He pulled Anise toward him and wrapped an arm around her shoulder in a platonic way rather than anything intimate.

“ _Make him like you. He like you. Why you both sad? I not understand,”_ Alkiirvur said in Anise’s head.

“I will explain later,” she responded, rubbing her eyes with the palms of her hands.

“Explain what?” Ulfric asked, thinking she was talking to him.

“Explain to Alkiirvur about why... why you and I would never work. He doesn’t understand politics. He is strangely not happy about it. Stupid dragon.” She stood up and pulled away from his grasp to go back to the ruins and pack up their gear. Anise grew tired of the place, eager to move on and get Ulfric home and out of her life.

When she returned, they sat in silence by the fire and tried to enjoy being outside, breathing the fresh air, but their thoughts preoccupied them after what happened that morning.

“I struggle with intimacy, Anise. I just thought you should know this isn’t just about politics. It has been a long time since I held a woman,” Ulfric said, breaking their silence.

“I am surprised, my lord. Surely one of your looks and station in life would leave you with a wide range of women to choose.”

“I am a busy man,” he said simply.

“It has to be more than that. Even the busiest of men find the time for intimacy or love.”

“Yes, there is more to it than that.” He grew quiet, not sure if he wanted to continue to talk about this.

“My lord, you brought this up for a reason. Are you not going to tell me what is really bothering you after all this?”

“You’re right, I brought this up for a reason,” he sighed and ran his hand back and forth through his thick mane of blonde hair. “They… tortured me for a long time, Anise. You know this already. What you don’t understand is... they broke me. They didn’t just break me with physical torture, but an emotional and psychological one. I was with a woman... I can’t say her name even to this day. She was... special to me. We both fought in the Great War only for the Legion to cast us aside like we were nothing. They betrayed us. The Thalmor took us, tortured us... I’m not sure for how long... maybe two years? They discovered I loved her and used her against me. I could hear her screams echoing through the dungeon every time they tortured her. Every scream was my own personal torture. Every blade that penetrated her, stabbed me too. We shared the same cell, and I could hold her each time... it was the only thing that kept us going, surviving.”

Anise’s tears spilled out of her eyes at his painful story, watching him control his own, but his eyes watered.

“I didn’t break by that point, despite all the torture. Elenwen, that Thalmor ‘Ambassador,’ chained her in front of me and cut her bit by bit. I could do nothing but watch as we shared in our screams. That was what finally broke me. Her torture and death in front of my eyes. They tortured her for no reason other than for my pain... to break me.” His voice cracked from the pain, trying to keep from weeping over the horrible memories.

“She died, and I had nothing left, so I gave them everything, no longer caring. Once they got all the information they needed out of me, it led to the seizure of the Imperial City during the Great War. They released me once they got what they wanted. I don’t even know how long it took me to recover mentally—maybe I never did. I betrayed the Imperials.” 

It was painful telling his story again. He spent years burying it deep within him. Something about Anise drove him to tell his story to her. He needed her to understand for some reason.

“Yes, I had women over the years… a few. I could never bring myself to be serious about it or marry... not after her. Eventually, I tired of them and tired of them asking all the time about my scars, not wanting to explain how I was the one who led the downfall of the Imperial City. Besides, they only wanted more wealth and status, and not me. So, I stopped with the woman altogether. Eventually, intimacies were long forgotten... it’s been years.”

Anise wiped away her tears and runny nose. “That was not your fault. You realize that, right? Anyone would have broken with enough torture... anyone.”

“I wasn’t strong enough.”

Anise now understood why he always hid his pain and not appear weak in front of others. “I think I understand now. And, Gods… I teased you about it... about your manliness and trying to be some martyr. I’m so very sorry.”

He waved a hand, telling her it didn’t matter. “You were trying to take care of me, and I was... difficult. You are the first woman in a very long time that I even kissed. I know I was keeping you warm, but with you not wearing clothes and having your skin against mine, it... I wanted you. Had this not happened, and we didn’t end up trapped in the ruins, I don’t know if any of those thoughts would have crossed my mind or if we would have ever kissed.” He threw more twigs on the fire, unable to look at her.

“Well, I felt the same way. I didn’t have these thoughts to kiss you and touch you until we had such close contact. But it happened and I don’t regret it.” She reached for his face, pulling him in for a soft kiss, and pulled away. “Thank you for trusting me with your story, Ulfric. I can’t tell you how much that means to me.”

Ulfric didn’t know what to say and it was empty without her lips on his, despite it being only for a couple of seconds.

It was early afternoon when they headed back out on their journey to Windhelm. There would be one more night of camping before reaching the old city. Had they left early in the morning, they could have made it. 

Their walk was mostly in silence, and it was thankfully free of any danger so far. At first, Anise was eager to move on and to be rid of Ulfric. Not that she hated him, but she didn’t want to think about him anymore, realizing that if they only had sex, she too would want more of him. She grew to like him a lot, especially realizing how he really wasn’t the hateful man she thought he once was, and everything he went through. She couldn’t imagine that sort of pain, and that he trusted her enough to tell his painful story moved her.

As they walked without a word, Ulfric watched Anise, lost in thought. He didn’t know what she was thinking, but it probably mirrored his own. Part of him thought he would regret not doing anything more intimate with her, but part of him realized it was for the best—easier to forget her. _How can I forget the woman who saved my life twice? She’s the only person I have ever fully told my story to. Not even Galmar knows everything that happened._

He grew to respect the woman more than he thought possible. Anise was stubborn, wild, a walking disaster, always teasing him, and she wasn’t very feminine—not that he really cared about that as much. But she was smart in the ways of the world, more than anyone trapped in a city most of their lives had any right to be. Despite her hardships, she harbored no self-pitying attitude and strived to improve her life. And she had a wonderful sense of humor, always making him laugh. 

He smiled, watching her balance herself on a fallen tree, arms out to keep from falling. He realized he also enjoyed her periodic child-like nature.

“Alkiirvur practicing again?” Ulfric asked as he watched her.

“No, he’s being punished for earlier today. If he were, I would have already fallen off and probably broken my neck.”

“How do you punish a dragon in your head?”

“Easy... silent treatment and no use of my body.”

He was going to ask how she was going to possibly practice without him around to catch her, but he remained silent, not wanting to think about how much he was going to miss her and their talks, especially their talks. 

He had no one to talk to like he had with Anise, not even Galmar, his second-in-command, and housecarl. Galmar was a good friend, but he was solely focused on the war and strategic battle planning. He wasn’t one to talk about emotional struggles. Ulfric didn’t realize how much he needed that until Anise and the fact that she listened without judgment. He watched her weep over his pain, showing how much empathy she had for others. For that, he would be forever grateful to her.

Before it grew too dark, Anise found an overhang on the side of a cliff. It looked like it was once a den for a bear, but the bones left behind were old and dry. She set up the bedrolls and went off to hunt while he got the fire ready. Anise claimed she was tired of old food and wanted something fresh to eat. Ulfric agreed.

After their meal of rabbits, they lay down in their own bedrolls to get a good night’s rest before heading out early in the morning. After three days snuggled up against Ulfric, Anise felt empty and struggled with sleep as she tossed and turned. After about an hour of squirming, she sensed a presence behind her. She turned around and looked up to see Ulfric standing over her. 

“I cannot sleep,” he declared.

“I can’t either,” she sighed.

“I know it is a lot to ask, especially after earlier today and our inevitable separation, but can I hold you one last time?”

“Yes,” was all she said as he rolled out his bedroll next to her and laid down, pulling her close to him.

Anise clasped Ulfric’s hand in hers and pressed her lips against his knuckles, planting gentle kisses. She would miss him holding her, but she knew she would move on.

Ulfric held her tighter, almost pulling her in to kiss her lips, but he held back. He watched her turn around to face him as she gave him a gentle kiss on his cheek before she snuggled in for the night.

“I had no idea how much I grew to like you, especially now that you are departing tomorrow,” Anise admitted.

“I feel the same.”

They left the rest unsaid as they fell asleep under the night sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: The Jarl finally makes it back to Windhelm as they both reluctantly part ways.


	17. Return of the Jarl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jarl Ulfric finally makes it home thanks to Anise's help. Ulfric gives her a gift in return, and she struggles as to why he would give her such a thing. Then he goes against character and does a few things to help the Dunmer people, per Anise's request. Anise, too, unknowingly left Ulfric a gift.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and commenting! Criticism welcome. I appreciate it so much. <3
> 
> Stay healthy. Stay safe.

They were about a half-mile away from Windhelm when Anise stopped and looked at Ulfric with pleading eyes. “Do you think you can make it from here, my lord?”

“I can. Is there a reason you cannot go the rest of the way with me? I still have to pay you.” That wasn’t the only reason he wanted her to go to the palace with him. He wasn’t ready for her to move on.

“I don’t want anyone to recognize me, and before you think it, it’s not because I’m with you. I don’t want my mother to know I am here. I’m not ready to visit her.”

“I understand, but you can’t ignore her forever.”

“I won’t, but I’m not ready yet.”

They stood there in awkward silence, unable to look at each other yet unable to separate. 

“What about your pay?” Ulfric finally asked.

Anise shrugged. “Part of me doesn’t care anymore about the money, but I need the coin to keep up my skooma addiction.”

Ulfric looked at her for a moment in shock but realized she wasn’t serious. He chuckled at her joke but impressed by her lack of desire for coin, wondering if it was because they had grown close in such a short time. “Very well. Stay here for a bit, and I will send someone out with your coin.”

Before Ulfric left, Anise pulled him close to her, and kissed him softly on his lips, then pushed him away. “Go before I get stuck in Windhelm for the rest of my pathetic life pining away... I don’t pine very well.”

“Anise…”

“It’s time to go, Jarl Ulfric. It was my pleasure to know you.” 

Ulfric bowed to her. “The pleasure was all mine.”

Anise had a pang of sadness as she watched him walk away. The man grew on her, and she wasn’t ready yet for it to be over, especially after he told her his troubling and painful story. For him to trust her enough with it, left her feeling... she didn’t really understand what it was exactly. All she figured out was he left her with a strong and emotional sensation. But she had a home to return to, and he had a war to win.

“I do not understand all this. You _joore_ are sad why?” Alkiirvur asked, confused as to the ways of mortals.

“Sad? Who’s sad? I’m not sad?” 

“Yes, _dur gein_ sad, I see.”

“Honestly, I don’t understand why I’m so sad either. It’s not like we were lovers, but I… I can’t explain it.”

“Is because of me?” he asked in concern, thinking it was his fault for interrupting them yesterday morning.

“No. It was inevitable.”

Ulfric remained hidden behind his cloak and hood, not wanting to talk to anyone in the streets. He wanted to be left alone until he got inside the palace. As soon as he entered his throne room, he pushed back his hood and handed his cloak to the servant girl, already waiting to do his bidding.

His Steward saw him come in and rushed to give orders to the kitchen and inform Galmar Stone-Fist that the Jarl had finally returned alive. Servants left and right ran around to make food, and bring the Jarl something to drink. 

Galmar came out of the war room, where he spent most of his time planning and saw Ulfric with relief. He heard about his capture and the dragon attack with no word as to Ulfric’s whereabouts, or if he even lived. He looked horrible and filthy with his beard grown in and his armor in ruin. 

“My friend! I cannot tell you how good it is to see you alive and well! You worried us and we eagerly waited for your return with hope!”

Ulfric waved a hand of indifference. “I’m fine. The Imperials, who ambushed us almost executed me. The timeliness of the dragon was... fortunate, allowing for my escape. During the chaos, as the dragon was burning down Helgen, a woman saved my life and brought me home safely. I must pay her now.”

“‘Her,’ my lord?” Galmar asked, wondering how a woman saved Ulfric, a battle-hardened man, and brought him home. “Where is she then?” The older man looked around the throne room but saw no woman other than the servant girls.

“Wait here, I will return in a moment,” Ulfric ordered as he ran to his room. When he entered, he opening drawers, cabinets, boxes and couldn’t find it. _Where in Oblivion is it?!_ He tore his room apart until he found it, a small decorative box tucked away in his wardrobe. Ulfric ran back down to the throne room and approached Galmar.

“I need you to go about a half-mile West on the main road and give this gift and 2,300 Septim to the woman waiting. She is wearing leather armor and in a brown hooded cloak lined with fur. Can you do that for me, old friend?”

Galmar looked at the man, watching several emotions cross his face, and wondered what came over Ulfric. Why was he was gifting this strange woman on top of her pay? But he didn’t question the man. “I will find someone immediately to pay her, my lord.”

“No. I need you to deliver it personally. I trust no one else to do so.”

Galmar bowed and did as he was told, but not without wondering about the strange request.

After over an hour of waiting for the messenger to bring her pay, Anise was eager to move on. The faster she moved on, the quicker she would stop thinking about him. She would head home to rest and restock, then head to High Hrothgar as Ulfric suggested so she could find out more about this Dragonborn business.

She soon saw a large man approach her. He looked like a great bear, literally, with his armor and helm that was a bear’s head. As he drew near, she could see an older gentleman with gray hair and a long gray beard tied in a knot. 

Galmar stopped and bowed when he reached the woman waiting. He watched her remove her hood, shocked to see a Dunmer girl. _How could this young girl save my Jarl and safely bring him home? Why would she, is the better question? For gold, no doubt, and a lot of it._

“I am Galmar Stone-Fist, Housecarl, and Second-In-Command to Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak,” he announced formally. 

“I am Anise... uhm, Sero, formerly of the Gray Quarter. I remember you, but you probably do not remember me from a year ago when I fell in the throne room, and there was an assassination attempt on the Jarl.”

“Ah, yes, I remember now, but you look different.”

“Haircuts will do that,” she deadpanned.

“Can I ask you a question, if I may be so bold?” 

She looked at the older man, knowing what he was going to ask her—why a Dunmer would bother to save Ulfric. “You want to understand why someone like me saved someone like the Jarl... twice?” 

“Yes, that was my question.”

Anise figured it wouldn’t hurt to give the older man a short rendition of the story. “We were together in Helgen, and he was next to me when I protected him from the dragon. It was purely instinctual, I assure you. Because of that, he hired me to bring him home safely since he was alone. He saved my life in return, so…” Anise explained, shrugging. She didn’t think it was necessary to go into detail about keeping each other warm in the ruins.

“I see. Well, we appreciate what you have done for us in saving our Jarl and returning him home safely, and he appreciates it too. Here is your pay and a little gift from him. I do not know what it is, so don’t ask.” 

Galmar handed her the beautifully carved box as she ran delicate fingers over the design. It was dark stained wood with a Nordic pattern engraved on the outside. If this wasn’t the gift, she couldn’t imagine what was inside as the box was beautiful by itself. She opened it and her breath caught in her throat. Inside was a delicately carved silver amulet surrounded by an ornate chain. It was carved in the traditional Nordic circular pattern, and in the center was a beautiful silver bear. 

Anise’s lip quivered as her eyes filled with tears, but she didn’t let them spill, not knowing why this gift touched her so much. She quickly closed the box, put it in her pack, muttering a thank you, and walked away.

She left Galmar holding her bag of coin, yelling after her she forgot it, but she ignored him as she continued walking. Her reaction to the gift was why Ulfric was acting so strange, he realized that something happened between them—more than just a merc and her patron. _Now I understand why Ulfric wanted me to handle this and no one else. Anyone else would have spread gossip throughout the city._

After Galmar returned to the palace, Ulfric cleaned up, shaved, and was wearing his Jarl robes. He didn’t get up from his throne, but Galmar realized the man was eager for news regarding the girl’s reaction.

“What did she say, Galmar?” There was a lot of emotion crossing the man’s face, but he could tell Ulfric was trying to hide it.

“She just gave me a quick story of what happened, and then I handed her the box. When she looked inside, she was... visibly upset and walked away with only a small thank you. You should be aware that she didn’t take your gold.”

Ulfric couldn’t hide his surprise at the news, despite what she said earlier. “But... did she take the box? Did she take it with her?”

“She accepted your gift, my lord.”

“Thank Talos, she took that at least,” Ulfric said under his breath.

“Sir, if I may be so bold, she’s—”

“I know what you are about to say, Galmar. Do not say it. From now on, we will do more for the people of my Hold.”

“My lord, I will not argue or ask why, but we are at war and—”

“What is the point in fighting a war and ruling if my people hate me for it in the end?”

“Yes, my Jarl,” Galmar bowed.

“I would also like you to do one more thing for me and beg you not to let anyone figure out you are doing so.” 

“Anything.”

“I want you to find that woman’s mother. I do not have a name, but she lives in the Gray Quarter. She works to keep her people fed and supplied, so she should not be hard to find.”

“What would you like me to do when I find her?” Galmar asked.

“I will have a letter for you to deliver to her,” Ulfric explained.

“It will be as you command.”

“Then I would like a regular schedule of guards patrolling the Gray Quarter. Hire Dunmer, if you can, and train them. It will give them some jobs, and they will feel safer with their own people protecting them.”

“By your leave, my lord.” Galmar bowed and left to the war room to strategize. He wondered what had come over his friend and Jarl in the weeks he had been gone.

_Dear Ms. Ridena,_

_This letter is personal, and I would like to keep it that way. Please do not share this letter with anyone else._

_You should be aware that your daughter, Anise, saved my life twice now. Once a year ago and most recently a few weeks ago. I hired her to take me home, back to Windhelm from Helgen safely. During that time, I got to know Anise and grew to appreciate her. She explained to me the plight of your people, and I have to admit, I have neglected of the people under my rule and care._

_Your daughter is intelligent and resourceful, and I respect her a great deal. It is my understanding that you spend most of your own coin to help your people. I am regretful that you have to do that. Because Anise refused payment for bringing me safely home, I am giving her gold to you to use for your people. I will do more for the Dunmer in Gray Quarter in due time, but I hope this will be enough to tie you over until that time._

_The letter is personal, but you may say that it was Anise who brought the money needed to help them._

_I am forever grateful for your daughter._

_Respectfully,_

_Ulfric Stormcloak, Jarl of Windhelm_

Ridena almost passed out when she saw the bag of gold and how much was in it. She was grateful the Jarl gave her the money and looked forward to seeing fresh changes in the Gray Quarter. But she wondered what her daughter did to convince the man to help the Dunmer and why Anise wouldn’t take his money. It also pleased her to have a word about her daughter and that she was alive and well.

“Who was that, _daelha_?” Teldryn asked, hearing someone at the door. He had not left back to Solstheim yet, enjoying his reunion with Ridena. Despite knowing Anise was fine, he was having a hard time leaving Ridena again.

“Would you believe it is a letter from the Jarl of Windhelm and a large sack of gold?”

“No. Is there a punchline to this joke?”

“It’s no joke. Here,” she said, handing him the letter, knowing she shouldn’t share it, but Teldryn was Anise’s father, and he should know.

“Well, I’ll be Sheogorath’s pimply ass… Our Anise is moving up in the world, though I’m wondering what possessed her not to take her payment. That’s a lot of gold she didn’t accept.” Teldryn read the letter once more. “I’m wondering if they formed some sort of bond. I told the girl that patrons aren’t our friends, but clearly, she’s ignored that bit of advice.”

“The man seems quite taken with her as well. And not everyone is as cold-hearted as you, Teldryn Sero,” Ridena teased, wrapping her arms around him.

“Indeed. Well, she left and didn’t visit here, so I can safely assume she’s still angry with us.”

“Give her time. She will come around.”

“I take it you’re going to use all this money on those whiny, bitter Dunmer, aren’t you? You could use it to get yourself something nice once in a while.”

“I can’t do that, Teldryn. You understand this. The Jarl asked me specifically to use it for the people, and that is what I will do. It will allow me to save the money I earn for myself.”

“I know, and that is why I love you and your giving heart to those who couldn’t care less.” Teldryn wrapped his own arms around her and kissed her. “Really, you are the best person I know.”

“I love you too, horker’s ass.”

It was late in the evening, and two days later when Anise made it to Whiterun. She took the carriage home because she was tired of walking everywhere. Instead of going straight to bed as she should have, she went to her washroom in the basement to bathe. 

After she cleaned herself and washed her hair, she laid there soaking in the washbasin, trying not to think about Ulfric. It didn’t take them long to like each other and connect. If they had not gotten snowed in, it was possible nothing would have come of it, and she wouldn’t be so disappointed by it all. Maybe something could have come from it had he not been a Jarl… or her a Dunmer.

Her hand roamed between her legs, rubbing a finger on her bud, something she frequently did when she bathed, but she wasn’t in the mood and got out of the bath. If she finished what she started, all she would do was think about sex and Ulfric. 

Throwing on her shift, she blew out the candle and blissfully fell asleep. 

The next morning, her eyes opened, and as her vision cleared, she could see the box she left on her side table by the bed. Anise reached over and ran her fingers on the box, touching the texture of the carvings. She didn’t want to open it again, but her hands ignored her head.

She pulled out the amulet, careful with the delicate chain, and held it in her hand. She ran a finger over the intricate design, wondering why Ulfric would give her such a beautiful thing. _Was it simply just a gift, or was there some meaning behind it? How can I not think about him with this beautiful amulet in my hand? Was that his intention? So I wouldn’t forget him?_

“You love him, so you put on, yes?” Alkiirvur asked. Since he was a part of Anise, he could sense all her emotions. It was hard for him to struggle with being a dragon. Dragons had feelings, but not like those from Anise. As a dragon, he didn’t know what it felt like to fall in love.

“I don’t love him,” she corrected. _Don’t I? Do I?_ After his story, she felt so closely rooted to him and couldn’t explain the potent feelings for the man. _Why did he tell me that story, anyway? Why me, of all people? Did he feel I would understand more than anyone else?_

“I would not know, I have not loved. I love my father but not the same, yes?”

“No, it is not the same as loving a parent. I do not love Ulfric... I barely know the man, but I wanted more—more than I can have. It doesn’t matter. We have work to do, you and I... no time for romance,” she said, as she put the amulet back into its box and placed the box in the drawer in her side table, out of view.

“Yes, work, we must find Alduin and stop him.”

Ulfric was in his room, which the staff cleaned after he destroyed it, looking for his mother’s amulet. He was about to toss his pack to a servant to throw out, then remembered it was Anise’s bag. _I need to get this back to her along with her sword she lent me. How could I be so neglectful?_

He figured the easiest way to do it was to send all her things back to her by courier, deciding to do so tomorrow. As he went through the pack, he removed all the old food and trash to throw away, leaving behind all her things. Ulfric almost threw away a piece of parchment before curiosity got the better of him. Unrolling it, he saw his face looking back at him. _Anise left me her drawing. She must have put it in there when she was packing our things back at the ruins._

He felt a strange pain in the pit of his stomach, missing her. Part of him wanted to travel to return her things in person, just to see her once more, but that would have been cruel for both of them, if not impractical. _You need to move on. No one would accept you and a Dark Elf, nor is she a noble. You know this. Maybe I should not care about such things. She is possibly the Dragonborn, though. That would change things._

Ulfric almost crumpled the drawing in frustration but stopped himself. Instead, he delicately rolled it back up and put it in the drawer in the side table next to his bed for safekeeping. _It’s time to stop wondering what if and get serious_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: Sex is a good distraction, so are twins.


	18. Distractions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anise curls up with a couple of wolf twins with a perverted dragon in her head. Ulfric finally pushes past his intimacy issues, but only to distract himself from Anise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW Content.
> 
> Thank you for reading and commenting! I appreciate it all so very much!! <3
> 
> I hope everyone is healthy and safe!

It was a week since Anise returned home to Whiterun. She was packing up to get ready to head to High Hrothgar and meet the Graybeards the next day. Later that night, she looked for the twins at the Bannered Mare for a few drinks, but knowing them, they would probably try to drag her home for more. 

_Be honest, that is what you want anyway, Anise_ — _a little romp with twins before you head out._

At first, she felt like she was betraying Ulfric somehow. _Why should be guilty? It’s not like we were ever together or ever will be. I might as well have some fun_. With the Dragonborn business, she also realized she needed to get serious about it and probably wouldn’t have time for commitments anyway, so the twins were perfect. _If they will still even talk to me. I have been avoiding them all week._

The Bannered Mare was lively when she walked in. It was full of people and music from the bard trying to sing over the din of voices. She found the last empty seat at the bar and ordered a mead looking around for the twins. _There they are_. She noticed that they were flirting with some blonde Nord girl as she sat on Vilkas’ lap. Or is that Farkas? The woman was giggling at their attentions, blushing. _It’s just as well. I need to get some rest, anyway;_ she thought as she drank down her mead and left to go back home. 

A hand grabbed Anise’s arm as she walked out the door and she looked up to see a pair of smiling silver eyes. “Where do you think you are going, beautiful? Farkas and I have been waiting all week for you.”

“Oh, it looked like you were busy, so—”

“We are never too busy for you,” Vilkas said as he pulled her in for an embrace.

“You flirt,” she laughed.

“You bring it out of us,” he laughed, snuggling his face in her neck.

“Come back in,” she heard Farkas’ request.

“Won’t your new girl get jealous?” Anise asked, not that she cared about them having a girl, but she didn’t want to stir up trouble either.

“You’re our girl,” Farkas replied with a gleam in his eyes as he pulled her in for his own embrace.

“I’m not your girl,” she laughed. “Alright, but only for a little bit. I have to travel in the morning.”

Of course, leave it to her lack of self-control to get drunk once more and drag the twins back to her place. _It is what you wanted anyway, Anise, so quit your complaining. You were looking for a good time with the twins, so you might as well have some fun._

She wasn’t nearly as drunk as last time, so it pleased that she wouldn’t forget all the fun details of the evening. As soon as they walked into her little house, clothes yanked off and strewn ungraciously into corners. Anise understood it was close to taboo having sexual pleasures from twins, but they were hard to resist with their looks, charm, and animal magnetism. They were also a wonderful distraction from Ulfric and responsibilities. _They don’t seem to care_.

Farkas threw her naked form over his shoulder, smacked her ass as she yelped, and hauled her upstairs to her room. He gently laid her on her bed as he kissed and nibbled his way down between her legs, while Vilkas sucked on her breasts. There was no other sensation like having two men pleasure her at once. Her entire body grew warm, and her mental focus blurred from the two separate sensations between her breasts and bud. It left her mind in a fog of pleasure as her hands had nothing to hold other than their hair. One hand grabbed Farkas’ hair, and the other grabbed Vilkas, tugging tightly with the wonderful sensations of their tongues.

“ _Daar los_ mating _haalvut med_ (This is what mating is like)!” Alkiirvur said breathlessly and out loud, forgetting he was supposed to be quiet. He wanted her to forget he was even there, too curious about the mating habits of _joore_. 

Anise's eyes shot open wide in shock as she slapped her mouth with a hand and a blush crept up her face in embarrassment, forgetting Alkiirvur was in her head. _B’vehk!_ Panic set in, wondering how she was going to explain the dragon talk.

Vilkas looked up at her with confusion, eyes clouded from lust. “What was that?”

_Think, think!_ “Uhm nothing, sorry… I uh, was just letting you know how good it felt in my language,” she lied, hoping they weren’t familiar with Dunmeri, or dragon for that matter.

“Oh, trust me, the pleasure is ours,” he said, pressing his lips to hers, then returning to her breasts, and she breathed a sigh of relief she didn’t have to explain further.

_“N’chow! Out, you perverted dragon... now, and close that door behind you!”_

“ _But I want see_ —”

“ _For the love of Azura... Oh, I know you do, and no, you don’t get to. OUT!”_

When she sensed Alkiirvur slink back in her mind, her thoughts drifted back to the twins.

Vilkas pinched on a nipple as he nibbled on the other, sending her waves of warmth between her legs where Farkas was busy licking her folds to her bud, and every time he moved away from her tender spot, she squirmed under him to find his tongue once more. _Where do you think you’re going?_

When he finished teasing her, he got serious. Hips lifted, legs spread, he pulled back the hood of her clit and dug in with his tongue. Between Farkas’ magnificent tongue and Vilkas’ attention to her breasts, it culminated into a wonderful sensation as she exploded, rewarding them with loud moans, arching of her back. 

She was in an orgasmic daze, Farkas left from between her legs to nibble on her breasts as Vilkas moved his mouth to hers, inserting his tongue. She moaned in his mouth. _By the Gods, they have the best tongues._

When the fog cleared her mind, she shoved Vilkas on his back, and she worked her way down between his legs and did her best to take his cock in her mouth. He and his brother were quite large, and it was difficult for her to do, using her hand to works the rest. 

Vilkas clasped her head in his firm hands, helping to guide the speed in which he wanted her to go while Farkas climbed behind her and plunged into her, gliding into her wetness. It hurt her a little as he was larger than she was used to, but he slowly and carefully worked his way into her until he hilted his cock. _Easy there... gently_ , she thought, willing him to be careful, but with her wetness, she adapted to him.

The movement behind her was a bit of a distraction from her own mouth movements on Vilkas, but she tried to concentrate. Farkas didn’t stop his movements as Vilkas sat on his knees, shoving his cock in her mouth, clasping hands to her head, guiding her into a pleasurable rhythm while Farkas worked himself from behind, picking up speed. Anise loved them working both ends of her.

Anise twirled her tongue on Vilkas’ tip and took him as deep to the back of her throat as he would go. He gave her moans of appreciation, pulsing in her mouth, knowing he was close. She could tell Farkas getting close as well. It was a strange, yet pleasant, sensation to know when a man was inside her was about to come. It was like a sudden heat one couldn’t feel. It made her wetter than she already was, as their pleasures rose.

Farkas gripped her hips, fingers digging into soft flesh, as he rolled his hips back and forth faster and harder, skin slapping against skin. There was a sudden pause as he stopped and stiffed for a moment, then resumed his thrusts slowly as he exploded in her. Vilkas wasn’t far behind as he tangled fingers in her hair, moving her head faster with his thrusts before he too froze. Anise worked her mouth and tongue, swallowing him until he was spent.

She collapsed on Vilkas as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her head, and Farkas rolled onto his side, giving her light kisses on her back until she fell asleep.

The next morning she was thankful the headache was minimal, despite the drinking. Not ready to wake up, she snuggled tighter to Farkas’ back as Vilkas snuggled closer to hers, sandwiching her in between. Their body heat and closeness reminded her of Ulfric. She struggled to sleep for a few nights after she departed from Windhelm as she got too used to him holding her.

Anise was too comfortable, not wanting to get up, but she had a mission to do and couldn’t delay any longer. She tried to get up, but Vilkas pulled her back down, not yet ready to get up. She could feel his erection on her backside and had an idea that he was going to aim for some morning sex, but she had to go. _Maybe next time_ , she thought as she pushed him away. 

She could see Farkas stir awake and knew he would want more too, so she had to put an end to it and send them home quickly. “No, not this time, guys. Last night was magnificent... fun, but I have to travel now.”

“Not even for a few minutes?” Farkas whined. 

“Sorry. Time for you both to go home.”

“When will you be back?” Vilkas asked, yawning, and stretching. “We want to see you again when you do.”

“Honestly, I’m not sure. Something big has come up, and it will keep me away for a while, I think.”

“OK, well, don’t wait so long to find us next time when you get back, please,” Farkas requested.

“I will try.”

They both held her and kissed her as she shooed them out the door. She smiled, thinking about her evening with them. It was fun, but it wasn’t something she could maintain and would have to stop, eventually. It was time to get serious and responsible.

“Can come out now?” Alkiirvur asked.

“Yes, you pervert.”

“I sorry I make you angry. I know you not let me, so I trick. Do not be mad.”

“I am still a bit mad at you. It was not nice of you to trick me like that just so you could watch or experience. I know you’re curious, but these things are private. I’m not preventing you to be mean. I want privacy, and you spoke out last night, which put me in a difficult situation.”

“I understand. I listen to _dovahkiin_.” 

She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “OK, good. Now, it’s time to get going.”

“Come,” Ulfric yelled out as he woke up to knocking on his bedroom door. The servant girl brought breakfast and tea, along with several missives for him to read. It was his usual morning routine. He would eat breakfast while he read the reports regarding the war against the Imperials or any other news that he would find interesting or valuable.

He sat up as the woman next to him stirred awake. She was the first woman he had sex with, in who knows how long. Not that he liked her or was interested—she wasn’t Anise, who he thought about much too often. He would rather it was her instead of the woman currently in his bed, but it was because of Anise, he was less tentative to explore intimacies again. 

His court used to be full of courtiers when he was younger, but as he ignored the women vying for his attention, hoping to snag a Jarl in marriage, the numbers dwindled. Now that he could soon be High King, the number of women courtiers increased. It was an annoyance at best, but one he had to put up with. 

He had too much wine the night before and just randomly picked a courtier to bed. She was a young, blonde, and petite thing who giggled too much. 

Ulfric climbed out of bed when he felt the woman try to pull him back down. Shrugging her off, he got up, still naked, and sat down at the table, cramming some bread into his mouth as he read the scrolls before him. He wrote to the Graybeards, Angier specifically, to let them know about Anise and how she appeared to be the Dragonborn. He asked for word back, but nothing came. 

_I wonder if she even bothered to see them. I know her dragon was resistant to the idea._

The young blonde got out of bed and came over to where he was sitting, running a gentle hand along his shoulder, avoiding the scars on his back. The girl wasn’t attracted to Jarl Ulfric. He was too old and covered in disgusting scars, but her mother was insistent the girl does her best to bed the man, hoping to please him enough for an eventual marriage.

Ulfric ignored the girl’s touches, noticing the entire night she did not once touch his back at all. Anise was not once afraid to touch his back or disgusted by it. “Leave,” he ordered, his voice cold and harsh, not even looking at her.

The girl scowled, then stuck out her tongue at him from behind, quickly got dressed, and left per his orders. She knew she would never see him again and that her mother would be furious at her failure.

Ulfric wasn’t ignorant of what he just did to that girl or immune to her feelings. He regretted bedding her when he woke, especially knowing she would get in trouble for not getting more from him. _I can’t do that again. It’s not fair to them. I cannot give them what they want. Though after I become King, I will have to decide and eventually marry for heirs._ At fifty, he was not getting any younger and knew he would have to decide quickly once he became king in order to produce children.

It would be impossible to find a woman interesting enough for him. They trained these girls to please in all ways other than in character. They would bore him. He wanted someone like Anise who would listen and not judge, but not afraid to speak her mind. Someone he could talk to about anything. There was no way to find such a woman among the shallow courtiers who only sought power and wealth. Just look at Elisif the Fair, who was chosen to marry High King Torygg for her beauty, but she was dumb as a rock.

He read through three scrolls, two indicating battles won in The Pale, and the other read a defeat somewhere in The Reach. He grabbed the fourth scroll. There it was, a letter from Angier— _Finally_. He read the two-page parchment eagerly and then reread it.

_Dear Jarl Ulfric,_

_It is kind of you to notify us of the Dragonborn’s arrival. We felt something stir recently when we heard Alduin appear at the top of the Throat of the World. How strange and fortuitous that you would come face to face with the Last Dragonborn on the day of Alduin’s return. Perhaps it is fate._

_Anise arrived here a week before as I write this letter. She was eager to learn more from us, but her dragon soul was quite insistent that she follow his lead. To be honest, I did not know the Dragonborn could talk to their dragon souls. It is not written in any records I have found, so it came as quite a surprise. Perhaps she is unique._

_Alkiirvur, though, was quite informative, explaining what happened to him and how he came to be inside the Dragonborn. Historical records will have to be updated. He, too, could not answer why he could talk to the Dragonborn, though they seem to work well together, which is good as they will need each other to defeat Alduin._

_She was only here for a couple of days before we sent the Dragonborn on a quest for us to conclude her training, much to the loud complaints from her and her dragon. I informed her when she returned that she would continue to train and meditate with us. Perhaps it is best to let Alduin fulfill his own destiny. We cannot stop him forever._

_The girl is not unlike you in her stubbornness and desire to choose her own path. It is no wonder you have a keen interest in her._

_I still look back on your past education with us with great fondness and wish you would have stayed, though we remain disappointed you used your thu’um against a King. Like Anise, you are determined to make waves and walk your own road despite the apparent path fate has chosen for you and the Dragonborn._

_Sincere Regards,_

_Angier_

Ulfric rolled up the scroll and put it in the drawer with Anise’s drawing to read again later. _What did he mean by ‘obvious path fate has chosen?’ Was Angier claiming that her path and mine are already written? Could it be why we were together on that day Alduin returned? No, fate is nonsense. We determine our own destinies. It was a coincidence._

But it pleased him, Anise made it to High Hrothgar, and that Angier was kind enough to respond to him. Ulfric wondered what sort of test Angier sent Anise on and hoped it wasn’t too dangerous for her but was confident she could handle whatever they threw at her.

There were several times Ulfric almost wrote to Anise but always stopped himself before he put the quill to ink. _It is best we do not contact each other_. He wondered if she thought about him as much as he thought about her. _It’s just as well. I cannot afford distractions._

The fifth scroll gave him a report of the Gray Quarter and how it was faring. They hired several Dunmer men and trained them to guard their quarter, eager for paying jobs. His informants noted that they prepared well and quelled a few drunken brawls and stopped a rape from a Nord who was currently sitting in a jail cell awaiting trial.

Ridena used the coin he sent her to fix up the Quarter, repairing old buildings, and cleaning the streets. He was sure she would run out of coin soon and made a note to send her more. Better yet, he would send some men to help fix up the area. It would be good for some Nords to work and get to know the Dunmer better. Perhaps this will be the start of working together and uniting the two struggling people.

His last scroll was the best news yet. They had finally caught the murderer who had killed several Nord girls over the past year. Calixto Corrium turned out to be the killer and was to be executed in public, pleasing the entire city, and provided a boost in morale that their young women could walk freely in the streets once more.

He finally finished breakfast, got dressed, and headed down to the throne room for his regular duties.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: Dragons, Ruins and that ever annoying Delphine.
> 
> I hope you check out my latest story with that big ole wolf, Farkas.
> 
> [The Wolf and The Whelp](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23456485)


	19. Useless Errands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anise is sent on an errand for the Graybeards, then sent on an errand to find the mystery note leaver. At least Anise gets to fight her first dragon, not that she was excited about that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We all know the Graybeards errand. I tried not to go into too much detail about it since we've all done the quest and if anyone is like me, want to spend as little time with Delphine as possible.
> 
> Thank you for reading and commenting! Hope everyone is safe and healthy

“ _Meyz!_ Turn around! I feel fire behind you!” Alkiirvur shouted.

Anise quickly turned around and dove out of the way as the dragon flew by scorching the dry grass in a trail of flames barely missing her. As it flew by, Anise on one knee, pelted it with arrows, missing all but two shots— _B'vehk!_ It came back around while Anise fired her arrows as fast as she could draw them. Reaching behind her quiver for another arrow, her hand came up empty. “ _N’chow_! I’m out!” she yelled as she rolled out of the way again. 

The fire dragon hovered above her and she felt the wind on her from its beating wings, blinding her with dust and grass. Its orange scales shimmered under Mundus. Anise could have sworn she heard it laughing, a deep rumbling sound coming from its throat.

“ _Zu’u lost fun do hi, Alkiirvur_ (I know about you, Alkiirvur)! _Hi los hokoron do Alduin_ (you are the enemy of Alduin). _Hi fen dir faaz_ (You will die painfully).”

“ _Hi nis viik zu’u ahrk dovahkiin oi gein_ (You cannot defeat me and Dragonborn as one)!”

“Blow it out your ass, _n’wah!_ ” Anise yelled at the fire dragon as she blasted it with ice spears, a spell she had been working on with Alkiirvur’s help, being more effective against fire dragons rather than fire.

The dragon was no longer laughing as it landed hard, shaking the ground beneath her. She was struggling to keep balance as it rushed, claws digging in the ground as it quickly headed in Anise’s direction. “ _Zu’u fen naak hin klov_ (I will eat your head)!”

“Now you’re just being disgusting!” Anise yelled more bravely than she felt, suddenly running the other direction, trying to ignore the image of her being headless. She was almost sure she peed her pants as soon as she saw the dragon coming right at her.

“ _You not pee you are brave_ ,” Alkiirvur said in her head, reading her mind, to keep her going and not falter.

Anise fought the nearly obsessive desire to keep running the other direction, but pulled out her sword instead as Alkiirvur shouted “ _LIZ SLEN NUS!_ ” Once the fire dragon was frozen, she ran towards the beast, climbed up its back and quickly stabbed it in the head with her ebony sword as the sharp blade cleanly penetrated into the dragon’s skull, reaching its brain and killing it. As it fell to the ground, Anise tumbled and fell on her back knocking the wind out of her, dust and debris billowed into the air from the fallen dragon as it rained down on her.

“Well, that could have gone more gracefully,” she groaned and coughed as soon as she could breathe again. 

She absorbed her first dragon soul as she watched the swirling yellow and orange lights dance around her and penetrated her own soul like a warm blanket— _N'Chow thoughts of Ulfric!_ She was still lying on her back, catching her breath, suddenly tired. “Can I just take a nap here?” 

Alkiirvur chuckled deeply in her head. “You pretend you weak but you brave for a _joor_.”

“I can’t tell if that is a compliment or an insult.”

“For you is compliment.”

“Gee thanks...but this _joor_ is now exhausted. What a _s’wit_ that dragon was with its bloated ego. Are you all like that?”

“Many yes have big ego more with Alduin.”

Anise finally got up and retrieved her sword still in the dragon’s skull. Placing one foot against the large bone, she yanked it out with some difficulty. Once it broke free, she lost her balance and fell back on her butt.

She got up and rubbed her sore tailbone. “If I’m going to keep fighting dragons, I’m going to have to find some help. I don’t think I can do all this alone and not sure if my butt can take anymore falling.”

“You not alone you have me.”

“Right, sorry. I know I do. That is not what I meant. I mean an extra pair of hands.”

“You want father?” Alkiirvur asked, sensing her thoughts.

“I’m thinking about it. I guess it’s time to go talk to my _alma_ and... _ata_ finally. He is a great fighter.”

“First stupid errand for old _joore._ ”

“Yes, a stupid errand for the Graybeards. I’m sure this is nothing more than a test. There better not be any _n’chow_ spiders. I hate spiders.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“This place gives me the creeps,” Anise complained out loud as soon as they arrived in Morthal. Like Windhelm, the place was frozen over, but to really add to the sense of creepiness and foreboding, it was surrounded by dark swamps. “I thought Windhelm was depressing.”

“Too bad you not fly everything beautiful high in the sky, even here,” Alkiirvur said. Anise could almost feel the dragon smiling.

“Flying would just make me throw up, I’m sure. I can barely handle boat rides without losing my insides. You miss flying?”

“Every day I miss.”

“I’m sorry. That must be hard.”

“My job for Akatosh worth it. It is important. Besides, you are fun and brave. You make good _ni viing dovah_ , wingless dragon.”

“Well, thanks. I feel all warm and fuzzy now. Your common tongue is getting better too, but we are getting closer to town and may want to talk in our heads now.”

All Anise knew was Ustengrav was near Morthal. She had looked over her map earlier and it was not there, so she would have to ask around. 

“ _It’s getting late. I guess we should stay the night at the inn and head out in the morning. Swamps are creepy enough without having to wade in them in the dark,_ ” Anise said in her head, talking to Alkiirvur.

“ _Yes, I hungry. Let us eat._ ”

“ _You’re not hungry, I am_.”

“ _Which make me hungry too._ ”

Anise headed inside Moorside Inn and asked what was on the menu that night. Ordering a venison stew and a mead, she sat down at an empty table. The place was relatively quiet. Not nearly as lively as Whiterun, but at least there was a bard, who apparently only knew two songs. After hearing Ragnar the Red five times, she was about to yank his lute out of his hand and shove it up his ass. Her visual made Alkiirvur chuckle in her head.

When she was done, she rented a room and asked the Innkeep for directions to Ustengrav ruins. Once she marked it down on her map, she headed to bed early.

As she lay curled up in bed, her thoughts drifted to Ulfric. After dealing with this errand, she would have to go to Solstheim to find Teldryn for help, which meant she would have to find a ship in Windhelm to take her there. Anise debated whether or not to go and see him while she was there or if she should just go straight to Solstheim. 

Pulling out her amulet around her neck, she ran a finger along the pattern and stared intently at the bear. She didn’t know why she was wearing it. Her original intent was to leave it in the box at home, but she kept pulling it out and looking at it. _No point in letting this beautiful thing just sit and collect dust. Might as well wear it._

Anise wondered if he got her drawing of him. When she was in town last, she received a package with her pack, gear and spare sword from Windhelm and noticed the drawing was not there assuming he found it. Though she was glad to have her things back, she found she was disappointed he did write a note or anything.

“ _You still like him?_ ” Alkiirvur asked.

“ _I guess_ …”

“ _You not think as much about him_.”

“ _Well, that is what happens when you are apart from someone. You think less and less about them with the passage of time_.”

“ _Dragons never forget_.”

“ _I’m sorry about that, but honestly, I don’t think I could handle it if I had to remember every single thing. Some things were meant to be forgotten_.”

Anise blew out the candle, tucked the amulet back inside her shift, and tried not to think about when Ulfric held her for three days to keep her warm as she struggled to fall asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The morning was frigid as Anise bundled up in a fur cloak and hood. The town didn’t look any more inviting with the bright sky. Checking her map once more, she headed NorthEast towards Ustengrav. She didn’t know why the Graybeards needed a stupid horn—Horn of Jurgen Windcaller, whoever that was. 

She had some experience with Nordic Ruins. They were usually filled with draugr, traps and giant frost spiders, sometimes necromancers. If she were lucky there would only be bandits who cleared out most of the dangers of the deep. Bandits she could handle.

The walk to the ruins took a few hours and looking on her map, she tried to make sure it was the same location, but she couldn’t see much. Usually, ruins were on the mountainside with massive iron doors and creepy arches. She saw nothing like that before her in this vile swamp. 

As she drew near, there were several bandits she had to dispatch, which was easy enough. Walking closer to their camp, she could see the mound of ancient stone that had been covered in moss and vines. It had been hard to see from a distance. Climbing on top of the mound she almost fell face forward into the pit below her, not knowing it was just a wall. She flapped her arms backward to keep from falling over and breaking her neck. Once she was steady, she walked down the steps provided.

“Ready?” she asked out loud to Alkiirvur.

“Yes, I want to see ruin made by _joor_. Many made for my kin.”

“You are certainly more eager than I am,” she said blandly.

Taking a deep breath, she opened the iron doors into the unknown.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anise walked out of the ruins finding she had been in there most of the day as it was nightfall. Her mood was furious at best. She had been complaining and yelling for a good ten minutes, reciting every swear word in Dunmeri and Nordic.

“ _B’vehk!_ What a waste of time!” she yelled as she combed out spider webs tangled in her hair and brushed off dust from her leather armor. She could smell the stench of death all over her. “All that work...hours of searching and for what?! Some _s’wit_ beat me to the Horn and kindly left me a note as if that would somehow make me less pissed off.”

“ _Dur niin_ (curse them)! I not understand either why so much trouble to meet you,” Alkiirvur responded, feeling her anger. She visualized him stomping around in circles sharing her irritation.

“If I don’t get that horn from the person who took it, I’m going to kill them!”

“You not killer _dovahkiin_. You do not kill messenger.”

“Just let me complain, please! That _n’wah_ forced me to fight necromancers, draugr, skeletons, traps and for what? A stupid note?!” She yanked the note out of a pocket she shoved in there earlier and read it again.

_I need to speak to you. Urgently._

_Rent the attic room at the Sleeping Giant Inn in Riverwood, and I’ll meet you._

_A friend_

“A friend, indeed,” she huffed.

“We go to this Riverwood then?” Alkiirvur asked.

“Apparently this person has left us little choice.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anise had never been to Riverwood. She remembered it was near Helgen from that fateful day with Alduin, but she and Ulfric bypassed it to avoid people as much as possible. It was a small town, but quaint and next to a beautiful rushing river and waterfalls, full of lush trees. There was a distant sound of a hammer to anvil, some logs being sawn as she approached, but it didn’t drown out sounds of birds and wind through the high trees. Anise liked it there and wondered if Riverwood would be a good place to move to.

When Anise walked into the Sleeping Giant Inn, she looked around wondering where there could possibly be an attic. _Oh, I get it...it’s some stupid code. Well, this better not be some joke._ Heading to the bar, she asked the man about the attic room and he just looked at her like she had lost her mind.

“Does it look like this place has an attic to you?” 

_OK, so he is definitely not the person to talk to_. Anise bought a mead and sat down at a table to look around and figure out who she needed to talk to when she was soon approached by a lovely, yet older woman with thick blonde hair, her face had deep scars and Anise wondered what could have possibly done that to the pretty woman.

“I overheard you looking for an attic room. We do not have an attic room.”

“Yes, I have established that already.”

“Well, if you need a room, you can have the one on the left, over there.”

Anise looked at the woman and saw a look in the eye that indicated she might be the one to talk to. She nodded at the older woman and headed over to the room, mead in hand.

As soon as the blonde woman entered the room and shut the door, Anise rushed at her, dagger in hand. “Tell me what is going on now before I kill you. I went through a lot of trouble to get here.”

The woman was strangely calm despite having a dagger at her throat. “So you're the Dragonborn I've been hearing so much about. I think you're looking for this. We need to talk." She pulled out an ancient horn and handed it to Anise.

Anise released the woman and quickly took the horn, placing it in her pack before the older woman could change her mind. “To be honest, this pisses me off even more. I went through a lot of trouble just for you to easily hand over the horn. I shouldn’t complain, but I’m still angry about Ustengrav.”

“I will explain everything in a moment. Follow me.”

After following the woman to the cellar through a secret passageway, Anise learned the woman was Delphine and she was searching for the Dragonborn.

“So, what’s up with the cloak and dagger crap?” Anise asked.

“I used to be a part of a group that hunted dragons. Dragons aren't just coming back, they're coming back to life. They haven't gone somewhere for all these years. They were dead, killed off centuries ago by my predecessors. Now, something's happening to bring them back to life. And I need you to help me stop it."

Alkiirvur had already explained to her about how the dragons were rising. “I already know what is going on, I’m the Dragonborn after all.”

“You say that now, but I need to know if I can trust you. You will need to prove it to me.”

Anise stood there, arms folded, clearly agitated. “I don’t need to prove anything to you and I’m the one who doesn’t trust you.”

“ _Prove to her I can,_ ” Alkiirvur said in Anise’s head. “ _It not hurt then we can move on_.”

“Did I not return the horn to you? I’m not your enemy,” Delphine explained.

“Fine you want proof, then I will give you proof...Alkiirvur?”

“ _Zu’u los liz dovah Alkiirvur_ (I am ice dragon Alkiirvur).” Anise turned her body to face the wall and let Alkiirvur do his ice shout. “ _LIZ SLEN NUS!_ ” The wall turned into a sheet of ice before them. 

Anise turned to face Delphine once more and pointed at the wall. “Good enough?”

Delphine looked completely unimpressed. “You speak dragon?” she asked flatly.

“No, my dragon speaks dragon...well, I guess I do too, but from his head.”

“You have a dragon in your head?”

“Well, not exactly. He’s part of my soul. It is his dragon soul.”

“That still proves nothing. You could have learned the dragon language easily enough. There are books on the subject. Plus anyone can learn a shout with enough training with the Graybeards. Even Ulfric Stormcloak knows a shout or two.”

The woman uttering Ulfric’s name sent a strange pang through Anise, but she pushed it aside. “I can see we are going to get along so well, Delphine,” she said sweetly with her usual flair for sarcasm.

“Look, I’m paranoid for a reason and it is what has kept me alive all these years. Before I tell you any more, I would like you to meet me at Kynesgrove”

“What’s in Kynesgrove?”

Delphine looked down on her map on the table before them and pointed to the area they were to meet. “I discovered recently a dragonstone, which is a map of ancient dragon burial sites. I've looked at which ones are now empty. The pattern is pretty clear. It seems to be spreading from the SouthEast, down in the Jeralls near Riften. The one at Kynesgrove is next if the pattern holds."

“So it wasn’t enough for you to waste my errand for the Graybeards, hunt you down for the horn, now I have to go half-way across Skyrim to kill a dragon to prove to you I am who I say I am? I just want to be clear how much I want to hate you right now.”

“I’m not here to make friends. Hate me all you want, but I need to know who you say you are then I will tell you everything, including my plans.”

Anise rubbed her face with her hands in frustration. “ _What do you think, Alkiirvur?_ ”

“ _I think I hate this_ joor _as you, but we have not choice._ ”

_“Oh, I can think of a few choices…”_

“Alright, fine, Delphine. I will meet you there.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: More dragon-fighting, breakups with twins and embassy infiltrations.
> 
> Soon, she will be reunited with Ulfric...promise.


	20. The Den of Enemies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anise stops a dragon from rising, has to send adorable twins away...permanently, then she has to force her way through the Thalmor Embassy only to be knocked out, forcing her dragon to take over her body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and commenting! It always means so very much! I hope everyone is safe and healthy!

“Alduin,” hissed Alkiirvur.

Anise hid behind a tree watching the massive black dragon wake a dead one buried in the snowy mound before her. She could barely see anything through the thick snow coming down, the wind blowing her hair in her face, making her shiver. It wasn’t storming when she got to Kynesgrove, but it came out of nowhere as soon as she got to the burial site. 

“This is Alduin, he causes the storm,” Alkiirvur explained, reading her thoughts.

“Can we kill him now? Shoot him out of the sky like the last dragon?”

“We cannot. Alduin is god, the first son of Akatosh. It will take more than arrows and ice. We must stop awakening.”

Anise was in disgust as the dragon bones emerged from its buried depths, crawling out like some slithering skinless snake, as it formed muscles and flesh. 

“We must kill now before too strong!” Alkiirvur yelled at her to get her moving and not just stand there, watching the horror show.

It took little to take down the dragon while it was still forming flesh and scales as she pelted it with arrow after arrow. Anise wanted to breathe a sigh of relief that she killed with little effort. _If I can catch these dragons at this stage, we can defeat them in no time_. But this was no time for celebration since she had Alduin to contend with as he flew high above her head.

“ _Daar los ni ko, Alkiirvur, dii hokoron! Gruth!_ (This is not over, Alkiirvur, my enemy! Betrayer!),” Alduin said with a deep and calming voice at Anise’s dragon soul.

“ _Mu viik hi us, Alduin_ (We defeated you before, Alduin),” Alkiirvur yelled through Anise’s voice, though this was the first time she felt a shiver of fear coming from her dragon soul.

All Anise heard was a guttural laugh as the enormous dragon flew off. “Surely, I must have peed right then.”

“You not pee, _dur gein_ ,” Alkiirvur laughed, relieved they did not have to fight Aludin yet. They were not ready.

“I will one day, just you wait. Oh, I’m so glad we didn’t have to fight Alduin today. I am completely not ready for that!” she said as he placed a hand on her heart to steady it. 

“I had same thought, but we will be.”

Anise walked over to Delphine, who was staring at her in shock. _So now she finally believes. I’m so happy I risked my life for her approval_ , Anise thought sarcastically.

“So it is really true! You are Dragonborn!” Delphine said in awe as she witnessed Anise absorb the dragon soul.

“I’m not sure why you are so surprised. I already proved it to you once. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. Now that you believe what I am, will you tell me what it is you want of me? I am on just pins and needles, so looking forward to hearing this.”

Delphine ignored Anise’s sarcasm and explained about the Blades and their purpose. She told Anise why she needed the Dragonborn. “The first thing we need to do is figure out how much the Thalmor are involved in all this. I need to know how much they know and what they are doing to make matters worse in Skyrim.”

Anise thought about what Delphine was saying, but she didn’t understand for the life of her how the Thalmor were be involved in this. “So you think the Thalmor are taking advantage of our little dragon problem?”

“Yes. But for me, it is not just that. It is a little too coincidental that Alduin awakes at the moment Ulfric Stormcloak is about to be executed, ending the Civil War. Suddenly the dragon appears, and in a way it saves Ulfric. Now the war is back on. It is something the Thalmor would want. They want us to kill each other or at least weaken Skyrim.”

Anise had a strange pang hearing Ulfric’s name, but she pushed it aside.

“Thalmor may take advantage, but not bring Alduin. Time make Alduin return. He was sent to future and now returns. It is time. Coincidence yes intentionally not with Ulfric,” Alkiirvur explained to Delphine.

“Between the Dragonborn awakening, Ulfric’s life saved, and Alduin’s return all at the same time is more than a coincidence,” Delphine said, indicating that it would not sway her without proof.

“So let me guess, you need to send me on another stupid errand to get you more proof?” Anise complained.

“Yes, if we could get into the Thalmor Embassy... It’s the center of their operations in Skyrim. The problem is, that place is locked up tighter than a miser’s purse. They could teach me a few things about paranoia.”

Anise rubbed her face in frustration, then pinched her nose to calm down her racing mind. “You may not have noticed, but I’m not exactly the most graceful person in Nirn. I’m no spy. I can barely kill dragons, let alone infiltrate an embassy full of mer bent on godhood. Let’s say I agree to this, what is the plan exactly?”

“I’m not sure yet. I have a few ideas, but I’ll need some time to pull things together... Meet me back in Riverwood. If I’m not back when you get there, wait for me. I shouldn’t be long. Keep an eye on the sky. It is only going to get worse.”

It took Anise three days to get back home to Whiterun. She needed to rest up and restock before she headed back out to Riverwood. She slunk into bed, exhausted, after her bath, and she had just fallen asleep before there was pounding on her door.

“ _N’wahs!_ ” she yelled, getting out of bed. She opened her door abruptly to find the twins before her, happy she was finally back home.

“You’ve been gone for weeks!” Vilkas exclaimed.

“Yes, weeks! We have been waiting! Come, there is a bottle mead with your name on it,” Farkas agreed.

Anise forgot about the twins. _Damn, they are too cute, but I’m so tired, and they are just getting too needy. I need to stop this before it’s too late._

“I’m sorry, big guys. I have barely slept for weeks, and I’m exhausted.”

“You can sleep later,” Vilkas demanded, trying to pull her out the door.

“Stop, please. Look, you two are adorable as eager bunnies. It’s been great fun, but... but I just can’t keep doing this. It’s not you... I adore you both, but I have this big job, and it is going to take me a long time to do. It will be hard, and I will be away most of the time…” _It may even kill me;_ she didn’t say. “I’m only here for a couple of days before I head back out again, and honestly, I’m not sure when I will be back.”

The sad look in their eyes was killing her. She wanted to give in, which was probably their intention. “I’m so sorry, really, but it is time I acted more responsibly.”

“Can we help?” Farkas asked in all sincerity.

It touched her they were so eager to help. She knew they were powerful warriors and part of the warrior’s guild in Whiterun, but she just couldn’t drag them into this Dragonborn business. She didn’t know how useful melee warriors would be against a flying dragon, anyway.

“I appreciate that so very much, more than you know, but it is not something you can help with. Please, I really do need to get some sleep. I’m barely standing as it is.”

Anise felt terrible as she watched them slink off before she shut the door. She had a lot of fun with them, but it was time to get serious now. She insisted people treated her like the adult she was, and she needed to act like it. 

“Would you still like if you not like Ulfric?” Alkiirvur asked intuitively.

“Honestly, I don’t know, but I do know I need to get serious. It is nice to come home to some fun and happiness... No, it’s not Ulfric. I can’t have him, anyway.”

“I’m glad you take Alduin seriously, _dur gein_.”

“It’s a serious business.”

As she crawled back into bed, her sleepy thoughts drifted to Ulfric. That was the kind of man she needed in her life. Someone more serious. Someone who understood her and listened to her, even if he didn’t agree. A man who could laugh at her stupid jokes and didn’t care if she was clumsy or not the prettiest or most feminine. It took Ulfric some time to respect her, but Anise didn’t have to do much to get it. _Respect doesn’t come for free anyway._

Anise felt strange in her dress. It was the same lovely dress Teldryn had bought her for her Name Day. The same day she found out the truth about him. It seemed so long now as she looked back. 

Fortunately, she was a complete unknown to everyone at the party and wasn’t pretty enough for them to notice her even in her lovely dress, feeling almost ghost-like. She hid most of her life, so most of the nobles paid little attention to her as she slinked back to get her gear from the Wood Elf in the kitchens.

Feeling more comfortable in her leather armor, she strapped on her sword, bow, quiver, and dagger, which she kept hidden in her boot in case she had no other weapons. Teldryn taught her to be fully prepared for the unknown, but if worse came to worse, she could conjure weapons as well, but they weren’t nearly as effective.

“It would have been nice if I could actually enjoy the party. Those desserts looked divine,” Anise whispered to Alkiirvur. She had gotten used to the dragon in her head, and despite the lack of privacy, it was helpful always to have someone to talk to when she needed it, even ramblings about sweet rolls.

“I do not have your love of sweets.”

“Well, _joor_ flesh, I guess, isn’t quite a dessert.”

She could actually feel Alkiirvur shutter. “I do not eat man-flesh. Some dragons do not I. I eat animals... I used to eat.”

“Sorry, you must miss your old life.”

“Yes, many times. I have job to do for Akatosh... it matters not. It help I like you. We work now, yes?”

“Yes, and I like you too.”

Anise sneaked quietly through the Embassy, trying to find her way around and find where the Thalmor Ambassador Elenwen kept her secrets. There was nothing in the main building as she bypassed two guards and headed out into the courtyard. The guards were on high alert, canvassing the entire courtyard. As soon as she came out of the main building, they attacked her on sight.

She fired off several arrows and used her chain lightning, killing several of the regular guards, but the wizard guarding the Solar was another matter entirely. He was powerful, and he had Anise on the defensive as he sent repeated ice spikes at her. The wizard bombarded her so much; her ward was faltering as she ducked behind a stone garden wall.

“ _I need teach you more shouts, but you need to kill more dragons. Fights would be easier,”_ Alkiirvur yelled in her head.

Anise wanted to blast the _n’wah_ , but the fireball would cause an explosion, bringing out more guards. She needed to deal with the wizard as quietly as possible. 

“ _Freeze him, Alkiirvur._ ”

“LIZ SLEN NUS!” he shouted at the wizard.

It froze the Thalmor wizard just long enough for Anise to take her dagger to his throat and drag him off to the side of the building. Digging in his pockets, she pulled out a key to get into the Solar. 

“ _This must be the place I need to be, as it is so heavily guarded.”_

Anise crouched as she snuck in, trying to avoid all the guards. There were several of them and more Thalmor. She bypassed all of them, hiding behind furniture, and reached an office. There was a large desk to hide behind as she dug in the drawers, looking for anything regarding the dragons rising. She wasn’t expecting much, but it didn’t hurt to have a little extra dirt on the Thalmor as well, so anything else she could find, she would take. Her years of cleaning Viola’s house taught her to be thorough.

As she was digging in a chest, she found a document and several dossiers. There was one with Ulfric’s name on it. _Interesting. I wonder what it says about him._ It didn’t surprise her since she knew Elenwen was part of Ulfric’s tortures years ago based on what he told her.

Her dark skin paled as she read the contents of the dossier. “ _They tricked Ulfric, those_ n’wahs! _Yes, he gave up vital information, but who wouldn’t with all the torture they inflicted on him. The Aldemir Dominion already captured the Imperial City, but they made Ulfric believe it was his information that led to their victory all along. Then they have been hands-off during his efforts regarding the Civil War. They want the war to continue!”_ she said in her head to Alkiirvur. “ _I have to bring this to Ulfric immediately.”_

“ _Stop reading,_ dur gein _. We have to go.”_

She put the dossiers in her pack, and before Anise could do anything, blackness consumed her.

Alkiirvur suddenly gained control over Anise’s body without expecting it as she fell to the ground. He looked around and could see a Thalmor who appeared to have hit Anise over the head, knocking her out with the pommel of a sword. He didn’t understand how he too wasn’t knocked out, but the dragon didn’t question it. Alkiirvur needed to get her body out of there.

He used his Ice Form shout, freezing several guards as he took her sword out of its scabbard. He stood but fell down again. Alkiirvur practiced using Anise’s body over several weeks and was getting better, but it was hard to let go of his muscle memory of being a dragon. Instead of standing, he conjured her fireball spell and fired it at several guards, killing them instantly.

Alkiirvur panicked when he saw the Solar catch fire. _No, no... cannot bring more guard. Put out fire!_ A couple of Thalmor were wreathing on the ground on fire, so he when he stood with some difficulty, he killed them with Anise’s sword. Then he used his ice to put out all the flames. _OK, fire gone where to go?_

He wobbled awkwardly around, arms out as he tried to remain stable with pieces of furniture, and found some steps to go down. _Ruth!_ (damn) _I not practice steps_. Alkiirvur took a tentative step on the stairs and instantly fell head over heels to the ground below. He laid there on the ground, a bit dazed. He tested to make sure he broke nothing in her body, he tried to get up again. _She not going to like I hurt her body._

Finally standing, he tried to open the door before him, but it was locked. Alkiirvur wasn’t about to go back up the stairs to find a key just to fall back down the steps again. He froze the handle to where it became brittle, breaking it with the sword, and opened the door, entering only to find more stairs. _Ruth!_ Alkiirvur grabbed the railing and eased Anise’s butt down on the steps until he reached the bottom. Then he waddled into what looked like some sort of prison, seeing a man chained to a wall moaning in pain. _Man needs help_.

Before Alkiirvur could help, he had to deal with a guard coming around the corner who didn’t see him yet. He hid behind a wall and stabbed the guard with Anise’s sword as the guard passed by, killing him. He shambled to the cell door, and it was locked, unable to open it. 

“I sorry can’t open metal bars,” Alkiirvur told the prisoner.

“Check your dead... guard for... key,” the man said weakly.

“ _Wake up,_ dur gein. _I need you to help move. I’m not good yet_ ,” he said in his head as he dug around the dead mer for the key. He found it then fumbled it in his hand before he dropped it only to spend the next couple of minutes trying to pick up the tiny thing.

It took several tries before Alkiirvur, groaning in frustration before he could put the key in the lock and turn it. The movements were too intricate for him, not used to having fingers. He paid close attention to his _dovahkiin_ , but watching wasn’t the same as doing. _When she wakes up, she need to help me practice fingers_.

“Thanks, now unlock my shackles.”

Alkiirvur was tired of trying to use the small key on the small locks and just froze the chains, breaking them with the sword. 

“You unlock,” he said as Alkiirvur threw the key at the beaten man. “Why you here and—”

“Ugh! What happened to my head? By Sheogorath, what happened to my body?” Anise complained, rubbing her head.

“Thank Akatosh, you are okay! I try! I try to help and get you away from Thalmor. They hurt you. I... I not practice stairs and fell. Sorry.”

“It’s OK, Alki—”

“You crazy or something? You realize you’re talking to yourself, right?” interrupted the beaten man before her.

“Who are you?” she asked, ignoring his questions.

“I’m Etienne. I’m part of the Thieves’ Guild. The Thalmor were interrogating me about a man living in the sewers of Riften. They call him Esbern, but I’m not sure who he is.”

Anise recalled one of the dossiers with Esbern’s name on it and knew this man was important.

“OK, let’s get out of here.”

As she started heading up the steps, Etienne pulled her back. “No, not that way. They will kill us for sure. Over here.” He went over to a storage chest and pulled it aside, revealing a latched door in the ground. He unlocked it with the key, they found earlier, they dropped into some caves.

As soon as they exited the small set of caves, Anise healed the man and herself. Etienne thanked her for saving him and ran off as she started heading towards the stables and Delphine.

“You look like you went to Oblivion and back,” Delphine said, watching Anise approach her.

“The stairs and my feet couldn’t get along. You know, the Thalmor are even more clueless about the dragons than you are.”

Delphine ignored the jab, skimming over the dossiers Anise handed over, but she held on to Ulfric’s. “We must get to Riften and contact a member of the Thieves’ Guild by the name of Brynolf. We have got to get to Riften before the Thalmor do!”

“We or me? I am sorry, but I am truly out of my league here. Either you can go get this man, or you can wait for me. I have more pressing issues at the moment.”

“What is more important than stopping the dragons from rising?”

Anise was quickly losing patience with this woman. She demanded a lot for very little in return. “I don’t know... maybe a Civil War that is destroying this land. We need the fighting to stop and have the people of Skyrim focus on what is really important right now. I also need help and have to find someone in particular. I cannot fight these dragons alone. Are _you_ going to help me with that?”

“I cannot. I have been in hiding from the Thalmor for many years, and I need to keep up the fight behind hidden doors.” 

“You mean get people to do your dirty work. Look, I will help you as much as I can, but right now, I have other pressing matters.”

“I assume there will be nothing I can do to change your mind?” Delphine asked, just as flustered as Anise.

“You assume correctly,” Anise said in finality as she walked away to catch a carriage ride straight to Windhelm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: Seeing Ulfric again


	21. Reunions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anise finally reunites with her mother after a year and a half to re-establish her relationship. Tedryn has disappeared. Ulfric and Anise finally meet face to face once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and commenting! It means so much as always! <3
> 
> I hope everyone is safe and healthy!

It had been several months since Anise had been back to Windhelm, and even then, it was on the outskirts after getting Ulfric to safety. _Surely, my name is clear by now_ , she thought, still worrying about being captured. It would be just as hard seeing her _alma_. Anise wasn’t sure what she was going to say precisely, but one thing she knew was they both needed a long talk about trust and honesty.

“You are nervous,” Alkiirvur stated.

“Yes, a bit. I haven’t seen my _alma_ in almost a year and a half. I could have seen her sooner, but I was angry,” Anise explained.

“You are not angry now, yes?” 

“I think I’m over it, but that doesn’t mean my _alma_ gets away with what she did. She is a good person with a big heart, but she kept my _ata_ a secret, and she shouldn’t have.”

“I don’t have _alma_. I have only _ata_... Akatosh. Akatosh is also _ata_ of _dovahkiin_.”

That fact took her back for a moment, the surprise evident on her face. “Wait, are you saying Akatosh... the god of all things, is also my _ata_?”

“Yes, he chose you long ago to be dovahkiin and bear dragon soul. He created you as he created me.” Alkiirvur was learning to speak the common tongue better the more he communicated with Anise.

“Well, that is... something, interesting. I’m not sure how to take that. Though I do question Akatosh’s sanity in choosing me of all beings.”

“He knows all. It is not mistake, but honor.”

“Didn’t he make a mistake with Alduin? You said he had a purpose of destroying worlds, not taking them over and ruling them.”

“No mistake. Alduin will find his true purpose again. Akatosh knows all.”

“Well, I would think he would know all... being a god. Time to talk inside our minds as we get closer to the city,” Anise said.

Windhelm was as depressing as she remembered it with its cold and gray stones, harsh against the beautiful landscape of Skyrim. Not even Mundus could brighten things. She put her hood over her head and pulled her cloak in tightly around her, not just from the frigid temperatures, but hiding her face. _Maybe it’s arrogant of me to assume anyone would even know who I am._

When she approached the Gray Quarter, she stopped in her tracks, barely recognizing the place. The crumbling buildings were in various stages of repair, there was a little market, Dunmer guards were patrolling the streets, clean and colorful banners were flying. Anise couldn’t believe her eyes. _Are they... are the Dunmer actually smiling?! What in Azura’s name happened? Is this Ulfric’s doing?_ She knew he listened to her and her stories of the Dunmer hardships and how to reconnect with his people, but she didn’t think he would have taken it that far. She felt the changes would have been slower and more subtle.

She lowered her hood as she explored the Gray Quarter streets in amazement. Dunmer came up to her, shook her hand, patted her back, yelled out, “Anise, welcome home.” _What in Sheogorath is going on, and why are the people who recognize me being so kind when they hated me before, or indifferent, at best_? Anise turned around and rushed to her _alma’s_ apartment.

She opened the door to the apartment, greeted with smells of baking and stews. She looked around the tidy home for her _alma_. _There she is, cooking meals for her people as always._ Usually, cooking pleased her, but her _alma_ didn’t look happy. In fact, all the Dunmer were delighted, but her _alma_ wasn’t. It was like the two switched places since Anise was here last.

“ _Alma_ …” Anise said, tentatively.

Ridena turned around, hearing her daughter’s voice, unsure if she heard right. When she saw her daughter standing in the kitchen, very much real, she sobbed into her hands then ran to her daughter, holding her tightly as if she would vanish at any moment.

“ _Yi daelha_...my girl!” Ridena wept.

Anise stifled her own tears at seeing her mother. “Hello, _alma_.”

“Thank Azura! You... you got my letter then. I was so worried when you didn’t write back; that something happened to you! It’s been weeks! It doesn’t matter... you are here now.”

“What letter, _alma_? I haven’t been home in a long while.”

“Oh, no! It’s Teldryn. He... there was trouble back in Solstheim that involved him... something dangerous. He was angry, and he left suddenly, but said he would let me know what was going on, and shouldn’t be gone too long.”

“He was here in Windhelm? When?”

“Shortly after you left him. He worried about you.”

_Her_ ata _had been here the whole time?_ “I came here to talk to you, but the Gray Quarter has completely changed, and I’m assuming you and Teldryn have been together since he recently left? What is going on?”

“Sit down, _yi daelha_ , and I will explain everything.”

Ridena poured some Telvani tea for both of them, expensive for her mother, and sat down to tell Anise everything that happened since she left. 

Anise inhaled the intense aroma of the tea and took a tentative sip, careful not to burn her mouth as she listened to her _alma._ Ridena told her about reuniting with Teldryn, receiving a letter from the Jarl about Anise with a large sum of coin, to using the money to rebuild the Gray Quarter. 

“Jarl Ulfric hired and trained several Dunmer men to patrol the Gray Quarter, not personally, of course, and sends Septim regularly to me to help our people. Now they are opening more shops, fisheries, making their own money, and putting it back into the community. Some have left Windhelm to start their own farms and make their own fortunes elsewhere instead of moping about in the Gray Quarter with no hope.”

Ridena grabbed her daughter’s hands, so happy to see her well.

“I do not know what you did or said to the man, but the Dunmer are happy, there is less crime, and while Nords still don’t like us, they at least aren’t as vocal about it. The Jarl is powerful, but even he cannot change the hearts of man. But it was you. You, Anise, because you didn’t take his coin. The money all went back to our community. The Jarl wanted to make sure our people knew it was because of you that coin was flowing again.”

Anise rubbed away unshed tears at her mother’s story and the transformation of the Gray Quarter, thanks to Ulfric. Everything she pushed away about him from her memory came flooding back, like a dam suddenly bursting. She wanted to see him even more than before after hearing everything he had done for the community. The gratitude she felt towards the man was overwhelming.

“Tell me, _yi daelha_ , what has happened to you? What has been going on in your life?” her mother asked.

“Nothing much. I have been following in Teldryn’s footsteps as a mercenary, earning my own money, and I have my own house in Whiterun. I work a lot, so there is not much to tell.” Anise remained quiet about the Dragonborn and her dragon soul.

“Dur gein, _you complain your mother was not honest and didn’t tell you things. You must not do what you complain about. Tell her._ ”

“ _You’re right_.” 

“ _Alma_ , there is one thing you should know. It is important, and it is dangerous, but I don’t want to keep things from you.” Anise told her _alma_ everything from what happened in Solstheim, her leaving and getting ambushed, almost dying with Ulfric to saving his life and bringing him home. She talked about dragon hunting and the Thalmor and finally coming back to Windhelm and why.”

Ridena was in tears from Anise’s story. Her emotions ran from fear to being proud of her. “I... I always knew you were special, _yi daehla_.”

Anise and her _alma_ talked throughout the night about everything. Anise told her how angry she was at not being told the truth about her _ata._ And her mother begged for her forgiveness. With hugs and kisses goodnight and lots of forgiving and weeping, they both headed to bed.

Anise’s bedroom looked precisely as she had left it, but cleaner and with a new blanket since her old one was moth-eaten and worn. She sat in bed, leaning upright against the wall as she propped her knees to sketch. It has been a couple of weeks at least since she had drawn anything. She did silly caricatures of Delphine having sex with horkers, making Alkiirvur laugh in her head. Then she sketched some of Alkiirvur himself. She had already sketched many, but she loved drawing the handsome dragon. He was a magnificent creature, and while she craved privacy, she enjoyed having him around. Anise smiled, feeling him almost blush at her thoughts and images she was drawing.

When she finished drawing, she blew out the candles and crawled back into bed. She worried about Teldryn. Her mother had not heard him from in a while, and she promised her _alma_ she would go to Solstheim to check on him and make sure he was alive, even if he fled from Ridena again. From the sound of it, Anise doubted he fled, but she couldn’t blame her _alma_ for thinking it. She was going to go to Solstheim anyway, so the trip wasn’t exactly a change of plans. Then tomorrow, she would go see Ulfric and tell him what she discovered at the Embassy.

Anise paced back and forth in the kitchen, nibbling on her thumbnail, as her mother made breakfast and tea. 

“Dear, please stop pacing and sit down. You’re making me dizzy.”

“Sorry, _alma_. I’m just nervous about seeing the Jarl.”

“Is it because you are attracted to him or because he is such an imposing man?” Ridena wished her daughter didn’t have an interest in the man as he would only break her heart, but she hoped her daughter was wise enough to realize that they could never be. No one would tolerate Ulfric Stormcloak and a Dunmer woman together, but she would not interfere unless Anise asked for advice.

“Both…?”

“I wish I had advice to give you, but I’m not exactly experienced in dealing with nobles. The only thing I can tell you is to be yourself. I’m sure you were yourself when Ulfric got to know you.”

“Right, because tripping on my own feet and making fun of his manliness are so appealing.”

“There is more to you than your clumsiness, and you know it. You also said you apologized already for how you treated him. Stop pretending that you think you aren’t worth anything. There is a confidence in you that wasn’t there when you left.”

“That had a lot to do with Teldryn… _ata_ ,” Anise said.

She could see the sadness in her _alma’s_ eyes and went up to her to give her a hug. “Don’t worry. I will find him.”

Ridena nodded and gripped her back.

After breakfast, Anise came out of her room, cleaned up, and attempted to style her hair. One side looked nice as she parted it on the side, and the bangs fell delicately around her face. On the other side, not so much. _If I didn’t take a dagger to it, perhaps it would look nicer. Maybe I should finally buy a pair of proper shears or just let it grow out again._

“Your nervous is making me nervous!” Alkiirvur finally yelled out, tired of her fidgeting and pacing.

“Right... sorry. OK, no time like the present.” Anise took a deep breath and headed to the Palace of Kings and to see Ulfric. She wrapped her cloak tightly about her as the weather was frigid and blustery— _typical Windhelm_. 

It was a short walk to the palace. She reached the large ornate doors and paused for a second to catch her nervous breath. _Why am I shaking so? It’s not just from the cold. We aren’t together and will never be, so stop being a nervous ninny!_

As she entered the door and straight into the throne room, she could see Ulfric there in the distance on his large throne, looking handsome yet bored, listening to people complain before him. Her stomach fluttered at the sight of him as she wiped clammy hands on her cloak. _We may not be together, but seeing him again... I just want to go up and kiss him. Self-control, Anise._

The large dining table made for courtiers and nobility that visited was full of beautiful women. _Boethiah, take them! Where did they all come from?!_ Anise found herself getting strangely jealous, a feeling she had never experienced before. _Why should I be? Didn’t I just have a threesome with twins? I have no right to get jealous. He’s not even mine._ Despite her best efforts to rationalize it, she couldn’t block out visions of her ‘Fus Roing’ the women right out of the palace. This vision of flinging the women into the air made her chuckle and helped to settle her nerves.

Anise walked to a pillar close by, trying to be quiet and out of the way enough that she wasn’t distracting or intrusive. She pulled back her hood, resting her hip and shoulder against the pillar, arms crossed, and watched Ulfric while he worked, looking more at ease than she felt. Most of the requests were inane, like getting help from the theft of a sheep. But others were more serious where two families were trying to settle a dispute over property rights—All boring to her. 

“Joore _squabble too much_ ,” Alkiirvur said in her head.

Anise blew out a silent laugh. “ _Such is the temporary life of_ joore.”

She caught her breath when Ulfric looked over in her direction, seeing the subtle surprise on his face. Anyone else would have missed it, but for her, it was clear as day. She also noted a slight gleam of pleasure in his eyes— _My imagination?_

Ulfric saw her there, leaning against the pillar. It completely caught him by surprise as he caught his breath. She looked so at ease watching him conduct his business. It was the last thing he expected and the last person he thought he would ever see again. Seeing her brought back a flood of memories. While they didn’t spend longer than a week together, it felt like it was months. 

Ulfric did everything in his power to keep from getting up from his throne, walking to her and grabbing Anise into an embrace. He was so distracted by her presence; he missed what his Steward said.

“What?”

“Jarl, it is the matter of the amulet he wishes to be returned—”

“Granted,” Ulfric said, not caring or if it made any sense.

He watched Anise saunter over towards him. The movement of her curves was casual and unhurried, but she couldn’t hide the nervousness in her eyes. She curtsied before him with a small smile playing on her lips.

“My lord, I have a request if I may.”

“I’m so very sorry, my Jarl. I do not have anyone else for today. She is not on the list.”

Ulfric waved his hand in dismissal at his Steward. “I will hear her.”

“Yes, my Jarl.”

“Thank you, my lord, for your kindness in hearing me today,” Anise said in deference.

“What would you have of me?”

Anise tried to hold in her nervous laughter as she imagined how she would inappropriately ‘have’ him, crossed her mind. _Not the time, Anise!_ “My lord, there is a young Nord girl who is homeless selling flowers on our cold streets. Her name is Sofie, and she currently lives in the Gray Quarter as she has nowhere else to go. Thanks to you, the Gray Quarter is doing well, but she still struggles.”

“Your caring heart warms mine, especially that of a Nord when you do not have to. What would you like me to do?”

“I would like to adopt her, my lord.” Anise already talked to Sofie earlier that day, much to the girl’s excitement, and her _alma_ agreed if Anise could get the paperwork from the Jarl since there was no orphanage in the city.

Anise could hear the surprise gasps behind her from the nobles and the mutterings that Ulfric Stormcloak would never allow a Dunmer to adopt a Nord child.

Ulfric started coughing in surprise as his Steward banged his back. “I apologize. Something caught in my throat. You would like to adopt this girl? May I ask why?” _Why would she want to do such a thing?_

“Simple, she needs a home, and we are friends, my lord. I am honestly surprised she is still alive just from selling picked flowers. I know her very well from living here. Her father died as a Stormcloak soldier. Quite an admirable death, wouldn’t you say?”

“Indeed. And, where would this girl live?” Ulfric did not understand where Anise was going with this. He was curious but concerned about what she would do with a child and a Nord child at that. He didn’t want to deny her, but it was a strange request.

“Well, she would live with my _alma_ , at least for now. I would be more like a... big sister. Sofie already lives in the Gray Quarter at the Cornerclub with mediocre help from the Dunmer, but I could give her a home and a place to belong. She wouldn’t have to freeze anymore for coin. She could work with my mother, helping the poor. My _alma_ helps the poorer Dunmer people, but she has branched out to help the poorer Nords as well.”

“She has? I... I wasn’t aware of that. Your _alma_ sounds like a kind woman.” This revelation genuinely surprised Ulfric. He didn’t realize the extent of change that was going on around his city, and for the better.

“She’s the best. Would you grant me this request?”

“Yes, I grant you permission to adopt young Sofie. I will have my Steward draw up the papers for signing.” 

More surprise gasps that Ulfric would grant such a thing.

“Thank you, my lord.”

Ulfric stood up, and Anise thought he was about to approach her as he was looking right at her. She wasn’t able to read anything in his expression. Instead, he bypassed her and stood at the head of the great table with all the courtiers and nobles. 

“Yes, I can tell you are surprised by this decision of mine with all your gasps, whispers, and inane chittering. It has come to my understanding that people believe I hate the Dunmer people and those other beings who are not Nord. You would be mistaken. I am fighting for the Nords because they took away Talos from us, and we have the right to be free from the Empire and Thalmor control. I have also been busy with the war. But everyone who lives under my rule is under my care. We are going through hard times with the war and dragons rising. Times are hard enough without making them worse with hate. This woman here, a Dunmer, and her mother have made a choice. They chose to not only help their own people but the Nords as well. Can we do no less? She is also the Dragonborn here to save all of us from the dragon menace. Akatosh himself chose her, and you will show her respect.”

The room was silent, and none looked at Ulfric. He was sure most did not care, but it was important he clarified his stance on the matter to the nobles, and to Anise.

After his grand speech, uplifting at least to Anise, he turned to face her. “Please, would you be so kind as to have dinner with me tonight?” He asked quietly so the others couldn’t hear. Ulfric wanted to make a show of it at first but decided it would be unfair to Anise to use her as a political maneuver like that. She deserved more than that.

Her stomach flutters grew, but there was no way she was going to say no to him. “I would like that. Thank you, my lord. I came to see you about another matter. It wasn’t just about Sofie. There is a more pressing matter I need to discuss with you. It is imperative that we talk, and I can’t wait until dinner. Is there somewhere we can talk privately?”

Ulfric gave her a small nod. “Very well, come with me.”

Anise followed the broad man to a room with a large table in the center and a map laying on top with markers, which she didn’t quite understand, but assumed it had to do with the war. He shut the large doors behind them and showed a chair for her to sit in as he sat next to her.

“It is good to see you, Anise,” he said before she got started. He reached out a hand and almost touched her face before he pulled it back and got himself under control.

Anise could see the sincerity in his eyes. “It is good to see you too, my lord.”

“Ulfric, please, at least when we are alone.”

“Very well, Ulfric.” Instead of explaining things, Anise just handed Ulfric the dossier on him she found at the Thalmor Embassy.

She watched his ordinarily stoic face go from one of curiosity to outright anger in seconds as he read the words before him. “How did you come upon this?” he demanded.

“I had to infiltrate the Thalmor Embassy to see if they had any involvement with the rising of the dragons. They are clueless, which I already knew. While I was searching, I stumbled onto that dossier about you. I was curious to see what they wrote, knowing what... what they did to you.” She reached out and rested a gentle hand on his arm, but it was so slight she was sure he didn’t even notice.

“They not only killed the woman I loved and broke me, but they tricked me and used me. I... I am uncertain whether I should be angrier at their treachery or relieved that it wasn’t my fault for the fall of the Imperial City. To think of the guilt that was in my heart all these years. Regardless, they broke me. Do you know how long all those deaths were on my conscience... in my heart? The Thalmor were not the only ones who broke me.”

She ran a delicate hand once more on his arm in empathy. “I’m so very sorry, Ulfric, that they did this to you. No one should have to suffer like that.”

They were silent for a long time, long enough for things to feel awkward, at least for Anise. Then Ulfric reached out for her and pulled her into an embrace. “Thank you for this gift, Anise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: Dinner doesn't go according to plan.


	22. The Jarl and the 'Princess'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anise agrees to dinner with Jarl Ulfric and things turn out great then they don't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and commenting!! <3
> 
> I hope everyone is healthy and safe!

Anise’s frustrated groan was loud as she tried to give her hair some semblance of control, though she wished it to be pretty too, but she would gratefully take control. _That’s it! I’m growing it out. At least it was pretty braided... or shave it! Why did I let my ata talk me into cutting my hair again?_

“What’s wrong, _yi daelha_?” Her _alma_ asked when she heard her daughter growl in frustration.

“Nothing! I can’t get my hair to behave.”

“Your hair looks good to me, Anise!” Sofie said as she sat on Anise’s bed, watching the woman trying to get ready for dinner with the Jarl. “I still can’t believe you get to have dinner with the Jarl! It’s like you’re a princess!” 

Anise looked at Sofie with her dreamy eyes as if this was some whirlwind romance. “Thanks, Sofie, you are always so sweet, but Princess, I’m not. It is that _s’wit’s_ fault... Teldryn!”

“Oh, so he’s the one who talked you into chopping off your lovely hair? Let me see what I can do.” Ridena moved Anise’s hair around to see if she could do something with it. “I think I have the very thing for you.”

Ridena left to her bedroom and returned with something gold in her hand. “I was saving this for your wedding day, but it looks like you need it right now. It’s a hair comb that was my alma’s, and she gave it to me. You know little about my family as I don’t like to talk about it much. I moved on from that old life, but we were wealthy once. My parents sold everything to escape Morrowind, but my _alma_ held on to this comb for me.”

Anise picked up the hair comb from her alma’s hand and inspected it. It was made of gold and inlaid with different colored gemstones in the pattern of a dragonfly. “It’s beautiful,” she whispered.

She took the comb from Anise and pulled back her daughter’s long bangs gently away from her face and placed the comb in her hair to hold them in place. “There, see how pretty that is. Your face is so much prettier now that we can see it.”

“I look like a bloated slaughterfish. My face is too round,” Anise whined.

“Anise, you are too hard on yourself, _yi daelha_. You look a lot like your _gahalma_ , grandmother.”

“Thanks, _alma_. Anyway, I better get my dress on. It’s going to be so strange, dressed up at the palace. I don’t see why I just can’t wear my leather armor.”

“This is the court, dear. If the Jarl invited you to dinner, I think it is best you show him some respect and not look like you just fought twenty draugr in some ruins.”

“That actually might be more pleasant—”

“Anise... stop. Get dressed and don’t keep him waiting.”

The throne room was eerily quiet when she walked in. All the usual courtiers and nobles were gone, except for Jorleif, Ulfric’s Steward, who was there waiting for her, it seemed.

“I can take your cloak, my lady,” Jorleif said, giving her a slight bow.

“Please, I’m no noblewoman... Anise is fine,” she replied, sensing the heat creep up her face from feeling a bit awkward and out of place.

“You are Dragonborn,” he said simply.

“Oh.”

“The Jarl is expecting you. This way.”

Anise followed Jorleif through the war room and through another door that led to a flight of stairs. It was the furthest Anise had ever been in the palace. It seemed like she was intruding on personal space somehow and didn’t quite feel comfortable being there. Her already frayed nerves were worsening with each step. _Why am I so nervous? I was half-naked around the Jarl for three days!_

She lifted her skirts to make sure she didn’t trip and she continued up the stairs until they came to a carved wooden door. Jorleif opened it and stepped aside so Anise could walk in. 

“The Jarl will be with you in a moment,” he said with a slight bow and left.

“Thank you.”

Anise looked around, knowing this must have been Ulfric’s private dining room. There was a large table in the center with about twelve chairs. It was massive by her standards, but probably small by his. The center had two large urns full of fragrant flowers.

Anise walked around the large room and looked at the portraits of past Jarls, most likely, or perhaps Ulfric’s family. One wall had a beautiful stone fireplace with a roaring fire that made the room quite inviting and cozy despite its elegance.

“ _I know you are lurking, Alkiirvur. I can sense your prying mind_.”

“ _I am here_.”

“ _Remember our several talks about privacy?”_

“ _I remember_.”

“ _I would like you to respect them tonight. You can watch or even ask questions, but if anything happens more than that... intimately, then you need to go to your room.’”_

“ _I will do as you ask.”_

“ _I appreciate that_.”

Anise stared out of a large window to the bleak landscape below, grateful she wasn’t out there and instead in the warm room. She didn’t hear Ulfric come in, but she heard him cough to get her attention.

She turned around to Ulfric, standing on the other side of the large table by the door in a lovely embroidered white tunic and dark cloth breeches. His hair looked combed for once, but she knew it probably wouldn’t last long, and was cleanly shaven, though she would have liked it if he grew his beard back. He looked utterly handsome and looking at him made stomach did somersaults from nerves when he walked in.

“Anise,” was all he said as he approached her with a small but warm smile.

“Ulfric.”

“You are beautiful in your dress and how you did your hair.” Looking at her neck, he noticed the amulet she was wearing. He gently picked it up and held it between his fingers, running a thumb across the design. “You’re wearing it.”

“Didn’t you want me to wear it?”

“Of course, it was a gift. I knew it would look lovely on you. I... I am surprised is all. Pleasantly surprised. Come, I have something to show you,” he said, grabbing her hand to guide her to another room.

As they entered the other room, she noted that it was his private bedroom. It was as lavish as everything else, with beautiful quilts and plush pillows on the bed, which had hand-carved posts in Nordic patterns. There was another roaring fireplace with two comfortable chairs in front, bookcases full of books, and a small table and two chairs for eating privately. 

“Here, look,” he said, pointing at his wall. It was Anise’s sketch of him, framed.

Anise didn’t know whether to be embarrassed that he displayed her drawing for the world to see or be proud he liked it enough to frame it.

“So, you like it?” she asked, unable to hide the note of shyness.

“How could I not? You are talented, Anise.”

“I’m glad you found it. I... I wasn’t sure if you would like it or not, so I secretly put it in your bag.”

“I’m pleased that you did. Come on, let’s eat.” Ulfric reached for Anice’s hand once more to bring her back to the small dining room where the servants set food out and poured wine into silver goblets.

They both sat down as food was served on plates and placed before them. There was so much food that Anise wondered what happened to it when she and the Jarl couldn’t finish all of it. She hoped at least the servants were allowed to eat the leftovers.

Anise sipped her wine, trying to calm her nerves, not having yet eaten as Ulfric dug into his pheasant and eyed her curiously. 

“Are you not hungry?” Ulfric asked.

“Famished... I’m just…” Anise stammered as she struggled with words and nerves.

“Just what?”

She let out a sigh and decided to just admit the truth to him. “I’m very out of place and don’t belong here, Ulfric. I’m just a poor Dunmer girl who used to clean houses. Girls like me don’t end up in magnificent palaces.” Anise looked at him pleadingly, hoping he understood.

Ulfric was so busy trying to impress her he didn’t stop to think how all this lavishness would make her feel. He was used to dealing with courtiers and nobles who expected it. _I’m going to have to do better than this... I should have known better_.

She saw his concerned face, worried she had offended him. “I’m so sorry, Ulfric. I am ruining the evening, aren’t I?” she asked, trying to calm the threat of tears.

“No, you are not ruining anything. If anything, I am. I just wanted to give you something wonderful, forgetting that it may not be something you are comfortable with. That was not my intention, but I should have known better.”

“This really is wonderful. It’s just… I’m not used to it is all.”

He sat and sipped his wine, looking lost in thought, which just made her more uncomfortable, not knowing what was going on in that head of his. Anise hadn’t felt this out of place around him since the day she fell on her face in the throne room. She couldn’t stare at him, so she forced her eyes elsewhere to look around the room and paintings she had already seen, sipping her wine.

“I have an idea. Come.” He abruptly stood up, took their plates, one in each hand, and offered her his elbow. 

Anise placed her hand in the crook of his arm, curious where he was taking her and their food. Ulfric led them down the stairs, a guard always around ready to open doors for him. They headed into the large kitchen and he put their plates on an old table. Servants were shocked and began scrambling, not knowing what to do as the Jarl never ate in the kitchens with guests.

“Stop your skittering. I’m fine—Go... do whatever. I would just like to be left alone for a while,” he told the servants. 

Ulfric grabbed two clean goblets and a bottle of some wine from a cabinet, and sat down on the bench, indicating she should sit with him. 

Anise smiled at him, pleasantly surprised he went through all this trouble just for her comfort. 

“Believe it or not, I eat in the kitchens often, especially at lunch. The servants were scrambling because I don’t bring people with me, and they didn’t know what to do.”

“You didn’t have to do this.”

“Nonsense, I wanted to. I want to have a nice evening with you, and we can’t very well do that if you are uncomfortable.”

“Thank you for this, Ulfric,” she said, feeling appreciative that he was so thoughtful. But she found herself suddenly shy but pleased he went through so much trouble for her. Then she wondered why. What could get a man like Ulfric, to go out of his way for her, a poor Dunmer girl?

“My pleasure. Now, tell me all about what you have been doing since I saw you last... besides trying to adopt Nord girls.”

Anise and Ulfric worked on their second bottle of wine as they picked their meal. Anise told him all about going to High Hrothgar, fighting dragons, meeting Delphine that she wanted to throttle, facing Alduin, and infiltrating the Thalmor Embassy. 

Ulfric was in awe of her achievements in such a short period since he saw her last. He told her about how the war was coming along without going into too much detail as he did last time, not wanting to bore her.

“You are quite an interesting woman, Anise.”

“Who knew a little cleaning girl from the Gray Quarter would go on to fight dragons,” she laughed, still trying to come to terms with it all.

Ulfric watched her at ease finally, but perhaps it was the wine. He hoped she was comfortable, and not just because she was drinking. Anise was not the most beautiful woman, but she was pretty and interesting looking, and her eyes were lovely. He found her quite attractive. It was everything about her that made her beautiful, even her clumsiness. All the courtiers did everything they could to be perfect. They believed they were something they were really not. Anise was always herself, forcing people to see her as she was, though Ulfric was sure she didn’t do that intentionally.

“Listen, Ulfric, I... I want to thank you for everything you have done for my people. Words cannot express—”

“I did nothing. It was you.”

“I haven’t even been here. How is that possible? You are the one who sends my _alma_ money, you are the one who trained some Dunmer men to be guards and hired them. You... you defended me in front of all those nobles,” she said, looking down at her hands twisting into themselves, feeling nervous again.

“The money you refused was only part of it. Knowing you and hearing your story made me realize how out of touch I had been... how one-track-minded I was... distracted. If I had not known you, nothing may have changed at all. As I said, it was you.”

Ulfric reached to her face and moved some stray hairs that fell from her hair comb, then trailed his fingers gently down her face. “I’m going to be honest, Anise. I think about you frequently and I tried to push you out of my mind, but all the missives I receive about you and what you are doing as the Dragonborn... it is impossible. Then seeing you unexpectedly again today, I—”

“I think about you too,” Anise admitted, leaning her face into his hand.

Ulfric had fought his feelings for her as long as he could. It would have been simpler to move on, never to see her again. Then there she was, sitting in front of him in his kitchen. Those few days they spent surviving together, forced to connect to keep each other alive, came flooding back in his mind. Her delicate kisses on his face, stirring something inside him he thought lost long ago.

He wanted to kiss her now, but he knew servants were about, probably sneaking peaks. Standing up, he grasped her hand once more and pulled her back to his private quarters and into his room. 

Anise stood in his room, feeling awkward once more. She was experienced enough with men to know what was coming, and she wouldn’t be in his private bedroom if things were innocent and platonic. Anise felt the heat in her body and spread between her legs. She thought of what was to come, but there was a reluctance as well. She was afraid of forming some sort of attachment to the man, a man she could have nothing meaningful with, but she said nothing, unable to find her words.

Ulfric approached her with purpose and intent, and a fire in his bright blue eyes. Cupping her face between his large hands, he bent down and pressed his lips to hers. It was soft and tender, not the hurried and heavy kisses the twins gave her. Her eyes closed as she felt his tongue inserted into her mouth. She may have moaned.

Pulling away, but still holding her face, he looked at her with questioning eyes. “Alkiirvur…?”

“Oh, right… uhm, Alkiirvur? Privacy, please.”

“As you say, _dur gein_ ,” Alkiirvur responded.

“He’s gone for now, right?” Ulfric asked, still unsure, knowing how curious the dragon was to the lives of mortals.

“Yes, I think so. I can’t sense him.”

“Good.” Ulfric smiled and pressed his lips to Anise’s once more as they resumed their intimate kiss. 

Anise wrapped her arms around Ulfric’s waist as she snaked her hands up his back. The movement drove Ulfric to deepen their kiss and soon kissed her as if he were starving, and she was his only means of satiation. Pulling away from her lips, he moved his mouth down her neck and moved around her face, planting kisses everywhere he could find flesh.

They were both breathing heavier, hearts skipping beats as they pounded into their chests. The kisses on her neck instinctively made her throw her head back so he could reach her better.

Ulfric worked his way down, pulling down the dress off her shoulder so he could kiss there as well. He tentatively and gently cupped her breast until she pulled away, doubts filling her mind. _This is wrong. I can’t. “_ Wait... stop,” she breathed into his neck, trying to ignore the ache between her legs. _Ulfric was not the twins. They were fun; he was something else._

“What,” Ulfric asked, but didn’t stop.

“Please,” she panted. “I... I can’t.”

“We can,” he simply replied.

Anise pushed him away more forcefully. “No. Please stop.” 

“Why? What is wrong?”

“I can’t do this, Ulfric.” She wanted him more than anything right at that moment, but it wasn’t fair to either of them to pursue whatever this was.

“I don’t understand. Why can’t you?” Ulfric asked, confused. She seemed eager a moment ago now she didn’t want him, and he said as much. “You wanted to a moment ago.”

“I want you more than you know.” _Don’t let him talk you into this, Anise. You can never truly have him._ She didn’t want to explain to him why she was stopping. Her desire to flee was overwhelming.

“Then why do we stop? Anise, be honest because I want... no, I need to understand. I want you, and if you want me to, I don’t see the problem.”

“Ulfric, you do not see things clearly. I can never have you, no matter how much I want it to be so. You will marry some Nord woman eventually… your words. What happens to me then? I don’t want to be some quick affair for you, someone temporary. You are... more to me than that. I either have all of you or none of you. Please believe me when I tell you this isn’t an ultimatum. I want something I just cannot have. I’m so sorry and I shouldn’t have let it get this far. That was my fault. I want you so very much, but…” Anise tried to hold it all in, but the tears fell, lip quivering as she could no longer look at him in the eyes.

“Anise, I... please. I want you.” 

Shaking her head, she couldn’t talk about it anymore. There was no point in further discussions as there was nothing she or he could do about their situation. “I’m sorry, but I have to go. I’m going to Solstheim tomorrow to find my _ata_. He’s in trouble, I think, and I don’t know when I will be back. From there... who knows what is to happen to me.”

Anise turned her back to Ulfric, leaving him standing there, not understanding what just happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: Father doesn't always know best


	23. Family Matters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anise goes in search of Teldryn back in Solstheim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and commenting! It means so much <3
> 
> Stay safe!

The boat ride to Solstheim was long and grueling. The weather was perfect, and the water was calm, and Anise didn’t get sick once. It wasn’t the boat ride that was the problem. She had two days to think of nothing but Ulfric, worrying about Teldryn as well, but she had no idea what was going on with him. He was probably at the Retching Netch getting drunk on sujamma, so she wouldn’t stress about it until she couldn’t find him.

She wanted to be mad at Ulfric for being intimate with her again, knowing very well they couldn’t be together—not in the sense that she wanted it. But she was just as guilty for letting it go as far as it did. As soon as she slipped on that dress, she understood what would happen and she did nothing to stop it. There was no stopping him when he whisked her away to the kitchens to make her feel more comfortable, or when they laughed and talked too comfortably during dinner. She didn’t stop it when he grabbed her hand to bring her upstairs to his bedroom, or when he pressed his lips to hers. _No, it was my fault, not his. I should never have gone to the palace for dinner. Ulfric went through all the trouble to make me as comfortable as he could, and all I did was ruin it for him. He probably hates me now, but maybe that’s for the best._

Anise wasn’t against temporary relationships or some intimate fun, but she didn’t view Ulfric that way. He was a man, not a boy or a plaything like the twins were. He listened to her and went out of his way to help her people, more than she ever dared dream or hope. No, she wanted to be with him in a way that no Nord would ever tolerate. It was impossible.

“ _You’ve been quiet,_ “ Anise said in her head to Alkiirvur, so the crew of the ship didn’t hear her talking to herself.

“ _You are... not yourself, and I am unsure what to say. I, too, feel you.”_

“ _My mood is affecting you, I take it?”_

“ _It is_ ,” was all Alkiirvur said in response.

“ _I’m sorry. I know I have been... moody. It’s hard for..._ joore _when they feel a lot and want things they cannot have. Not things like a new rug or a picture, but someone special_.”

“ _I think I understand. I wish I help.”_

“ _It’s fine, Alkiirvur. There is nothing you can do, anyway. Just help me find my_ ata _.”_

“ _I will do my best.”_

When the coast of Solstheim came into view, she pushed away thoughts of Ulfric and began thinking about a plan to find Teldryn. If he wasn’t at the Retching Netch, she would talk to Geldis, who was good friends with her _ata_. Her _ata_. She started thinking of Teldryn more and more as her father, wondering why. Perhaps it was the reunion of her parents or the fact that she missed him so much and worried about him.

_Solstheim hasn’t changed a bit, though to be fair, I have only been gone for about six months. I doubt it ever changes much, anyway._

She waved to a few Dunmer who recognized her, heading straight to the Retching Netch. As soon as she walked in, her eyes instantly gravitated towards the corner where Teldryn would make himself his own prop for merc work. Though it disappointed her that his seat was vacant, it didn’t surprise her.

“Annie!” yelled out Geldis as soon as he saw Anise. He was the only one ever to call her that while Teldryn stuck with ‘ _hla miluth_.’ It was a nickname she hated at first, thinking Teldryn was condescending, but it grew on her, and now that she was back on Solstheim, she missed it, missed him.

“How are you, you old fetcher!” she said. 

Geldis came around from behind the bar and hugged Anise. “It’s good to see you, girl.”

“It’s good to see you too, Geldis.”

“What brings you back? The last time you were here was before you scrambled back to Skyrim, away from your _ata,_ breaking his poor heart. _”_

“Well, now I’m scrambling back to find him. He came back with some problem he was having, though he wasn’t exactly forthcoming about what it was. My _alma_ expected to hear from him, but there has been nothing for weeks and it worries us. Would you know anything?”

Geldis tugged at her arm and dragged her to the back storage room of the inn, looking over his shoulder as if expecting someone to be spying on them. Old habits for the old and retired Morag Tong member. He unlocked a safe and pulled out a piece of parchment, handing it to her. Anise opened it up to find a wanted poster with Teldryn’s face printed on it with a reward of 25,000 Septims. She felt a hand pushing up her jaw. Her mouth must have been hanging open, and Geldis closed it.

“25,000 Septims! What in all of Nirn did Teldryn do to get a price on his head that high? Who ordered the warrant?”

“I don’t know for sure, but Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak signed it.” 

“Ulfric...” Anise whispered. Her life just kept spiraling back to Ulfric.

“You must know him, judgin’ by the fact you called him by his first name.”

“Yes, we are... acquainted.”

Gelid had been around long enough and seen the world enough to know her ‘acquaintance’ to Ulfric Stormcloak involved more than just mere knowledge of the man, but he kept silent.

“Well, anyway, Teldryn pulled several wanted posters off of posts in town and came to me with them. He muttered a lot of foul words in Dunmeri not even I knew and said he had to figure this out. That there was some ship he had to find over on the Western part of the coast... somethin’ about “Sea Tiger.” That was about three weeks ago, and I haven’t seen him since."

Anise crouched by one of many burned corpses along with several dead Redoran guards. The charred corpses looked like Teldryn’s handiwork. Anise had seen it before. _He’s been here, but that was a while ago judging by the stench._

There was one corpse that wasn’t burned all the way when she saw a slip of paper hanging out of the pocket of his breeches. Pulling it out, she read the note. 

_Wait at Bloodskaal Barrow until further orders. I will try to infiltrate the city until the other group makes their move._

_Ramodo_

After some searching, Anise found Ramodo, a Redguard, in an abandoned building who sent her on further clues to find the Sea Tiger. She assumed the Sea Tiger was a pirate ship, but she had little more information to go on. After talking with the large man, she got the impression he thought she wanted to join the pirates for the reward on Teldryn’s head, and the Redguard gave her directions to Bloodskaal Barrow. He explained to her that his boss wanted Teldryn alive and to meet her and the crew in the Barrow for further instructions.

As soon as Anise walked out the door of the abandoned building, she found herself surrounded by several thugs of all shapes and sizes. It was clear they intended to harm, and she wasted no time using one of her _thu’ums_ she learned from Alkiirvur. 

“ _ZUN HAAL VIIK!”_ she shouted at several of the bandits closer to her, which disarmed them of all weapons as Alkiirvur did his frost form shout. As soon as it froze them, Anise used her sword to kill them as she danced away from the bandits who still had their weapons.

The Dunmer of Raven Rock heard the commotion from the battle. They all were familiar with Anise and didn’t hesitate to join in the fray to kill the remaining bandits. The citizens of Raven Rock were always well prepared for anything, as life in Solstheim was hard. 

Panting, Anise gave her thanks to those that helped her. Raven Rock was full of Dunmer, who were so different from those in the Gray Quarter. Had she been in Windhelm, at least when she lived there, they would never have come to her aid. But here, the Dunmer had each other’s backs. They were family. She missed Raven Rock, though not so much all the ash.

“ _This can’t be a coincidence. I begin looking for Teldryn only to find thugs surrounding me, bent on killing me_.”

“ _It seems to be coincidence,”_ Alkiirvur confirmed.

“ _If I wasn’t worried before, I am now,_ “ she said as she dug into the breeches of a bandit, scrunching her nose against his smell of body odor and piss. After the third search, she finally found a note.

“ _Apparently, this person can’t figure out how to cover their tracks, leaving notes all over the place.”_

“ _It makes easy for us_.”

“ _Indeed it does, Alkiirvur.”_

_You are to distract them as I get my agents to enter the jails. Try not to get killed. I won’t be there to save you._

_Sigrun_

_“So, they really weren’t after me. I was just part of their little distraction.”_

_“See jail, yes?”_

Anise made it out of the cave system and into some ancient ruins. A jail cell had a secret passageway through the sewer system. The ruins were half buried in sand and ash, so there was not much to see. As she walked deeper, she could see red fire runes decorating the walls and ground— _Teldryn’s handiwork._ Teldryn was an expert at rune making, and he frequently used them as traps. If he had not taught her about them, she would have easily stepped on one and lost a leg, or worse. 

More burned corpses were all over the place— _recent ones_ —still smoking. _These must be the people who found him. He’s got to be close_. Unsure if there were others out there looking for Teldryn, she drew her sword and had a fireball spell ready in her other hand. There was a large mound sticking out of the ground she recognized as an old burial ruin. 

She entered the crumbling ruin only to find it was just a room full of fallen stones, sand, and ash. It looked as if someone was using it as a place to sleep with a bedroll, some books, and sujamma bottles scattered everywhere. Anise walked over to the ancient embalming table and could see Teldryn’s wanted pamphlets everywhere. _He must have been removing them throughout the city._

“Stop right there!”

Before Anise could turn around, she found herself frozen by a paralysis spell and fell to the ground as her head slammed on the stone floor, knocking her out.

“Anise! Anise... wake up, _hla miluth!”_

Anise could hear the panic in his voice as he gently patted her face with one hand and ran a healing spell around her head with the other.

“Please, wake up, _hla miluth!”_

“Ugh, what happened?” she complained, rubbing her head.

“Thank Azura you are OK. I’m afraid that was my fault. I have people after me, and I thought you were one of them not knowing you were here.”

Teldryn lifted her off the bedroll and held her tightly against him as relief washed over him. “It is so good to see you, girl, and that you are okay. I’m so sorry I hurt you... and not just with my spell. But what are you doing here? Stupid question. You have obviously been following clues to my whereabouts. But why?”

“I’m glad you are alive, Tel... _ata_.”

Teldryn pulled her in for another tight hug after she called him her father, feeling an emotional tug that he tried to squash. 

“Can’t... breathe…”

“Sorry, I... I am just happy to see you and that you are well. Uhm... I don’t know what is going on with you, _hla miluth_ , but I had an interesting conversation with you while you were knocked out.”

“Let me guess? Alkiirvur?”

“Yes, it said it was a dragon?” Teldryn could scarcely believe it still, despite her being knocked out and having an outright conversation with him.

“He is.” She pushed Teldryn away and sat upon the bedroll, rubbing her still sore head. “It’s a long story and one I would like to share with you, but first things first. What is going on with you? _Alma_ is worried sick about you... well, between that and thoughts that you left her again. You didn’t leave her again, did you? Because I’m not sure she can take that again.”

“No, I... I have been with her since you left. We reconnected once more, and I’m not making that mistake again. I’m never leaving her. But I got wind of a bounty on my head, and well, I have been in hiding, unable to send your _alma_ a letter.”

“Okay, so how can we fix this then?” Anise asked, standing up and getting ready to do what they needed to clear his name.

“ _We_ aren’t fixing anything. _You_ are going back home, and I will fix this.”

“Oh, no. I’m not leaving. I can handle myself, especially now.”

“What do you mean, ‘especially now?’”

“Never mind... it’s a long story that has to do with Alkiirvur. We can talk later. Now we need to figure out who this Sigrun is and get you back home.”

“Did you say, Sigrun? Sheogorath take me! So, it’s not a bounty. It’s revenge. Damn it all!”

“This person put a 25,000 Septim bounty on you for... revenge?” Anise asked as she handed him the note she found that led her to the ruins.

He scanned the note. Typically able to mask his emotions on his face, he was clearly angry. “Yes, you remember my Nord patron from years ago? The one who ran into a den of bandits that not even I would have survived?” When Anise nodded she remembered, he continued with his story. “The man was distraught with grief at the loss of his child from those bandits. I tried to stop him, knowing they would kill him, but he wouldn’t listen. The mission was suicide, and as much as I liked the man, it wasn’t enough that I was willing to kill myself.”

“So this has to do with your patron? His death wasn’t your fault,” she said.

“Sigrun is his widow, and she believes that I was the one who killed him. It seems she’s had a bounty on my head, and it’s not for money, oh no. She wants them to find me alive, I’m sure, and bring me to her so she can do the killing. I don’t know how she found me in Solstheim after all this time,” he continued.

“Can’t you explain to her what happened?”

“Don’t you think I tried? It’s been 20 years now... she won’t listen to reason.” For someone bent on revenge for so long, boggled his mind. He had to deal with this.

Anise thought for a moment about what to do. “What about talking to Ulfric Stormcloak? He signed the warrant.”

“His father released me of all charges, but I don’t have the document anymore,” Teldryn explained. “I know where it is, and I know where my patron is buried with a letter to his wife because I buried him. I have all the evidence, which I tried to present her with, but she never believed me. She is a woman bent on a mission of revenge—blinded by it. She must have convinced Jarl Ulfric I was still a wanted criminal.”

“We need to get that proof and go see Ulfric, _ata_.”

“That will not stop Sigrun, _hla miluth_. She doesn’t care.”

“We have to do something!” Anise demanded.

“I’m going to have to... take care of Sigrun. I don’t want to, but I’m running out of options. She’s got an army of pirates on the Sea Tiger hunting me. I am sorry her husband died, but that man was mad with grief. There was no stopping him.”

“Then, I will help you. You don’t have to be alone.”

“Come here, girl,” Teldryn said, holding out his arms, wanting to hold his _julikal_ once more. Pleased that she’s come to accept him as her _ata. “_ It’s late. Let’s get some rest, and we will head out in the morning. You take the bedroll. I will sleep here on the stones. I’ve slept in worse places, so don’t give me that look.”

After Anise fell asleep, Teldryn got up and wrote her a quick note, then he quietly gathered his gear, leaving her behind while he handled Sigrun. He would never forgive himself if something happened to Anise, and her mother would never forgive him either. It was something he had to do alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: Ulfric strategizes, not in war. Teldryn is a stubborn Dunmer.


	24. Strategies and Decisions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ulfric strategizes how to bring Anise into his life while she is saving her stubborn father's life... that damned Teldryn, difficult down to the bone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Love to hear from you! <3
> 
> Hope everyone is safe!

The young courtier, with the encouragement of her mother—more like pestering the girl, stood and ambled over to Jarl Ulfric. He was eating his lunch at the head of the table with the rest of the growing numbers of nobles, reading missives, and ignoring everyone. 

“I see you are out of wine, my lord. Let me pour you some more,” she said with a curtsy, her sleek, long brown hair slipping down as she reached for the wine bottle, carefully displaying her perfectly sculpted body for him, with an ample view of her cleavage.

“I can do it,” he snapped at the girl, ignoring her attempts at seducing him.

Not to be dissuaded, she reached for the bottle with a trembling hand, her mother shooing her to continue. The young woman was so nervous; she knocked over the bottle, spilling the entire contents out on the table and all over Ulfric’s lap. She scrambled to grab a napkin and started cleaning up the wine off of him and his papers.

Ulfric closed his eyes to still his temper as she blotted up wine from his lap, but nothing could soothe his mood. “ENOUGH! OUT! EVERYONE OUT! Stop that cleaning, girl, and get out!” he boomed, his voice reverberating through the throne room. 

Tears pooled out of the young woman’s eyes from embarrassment and failure as she ran out of the palace, her mother scolding her as they left. The rest of the nobles slowly got up and made their way out, meals unfinished. When they weren’t moving fast enough, Ulfric completely lost his patience.

“MOVE! I said, get out!” he bellowed once more.

The nobles started moving faster until the room cleared out of the parasites. Once they left, Ulfric headed to his room to change his attire and came back down. Instead of going to sit on the throne per his custom, he stood at the map table in the war room with Galmar, looking at it, but not seeing it. His eyes were unfocused, trying to get his mind on the war, but he couldn’t.

“Tell me what is going on, Galmar. Where do we stand on the war?”

“It’s been slow going, but we—”

“I know it’s been slow going! Too slow!” Ulfric snapped.

“My lord, we get more and more recruits every day, but the war spreads us thin,” Galmar explained, trying to calm the man.

“Then get more recruits! It has gone on far too long! We need to gather troops and head to Whiterun soon.”

“We captured Fort Sungard, in the Reach, which puts us one step closer to re-establishing your foothold in Markarth, my lord.”

“One fort… One fort?! One fort is nothing! It’s not enough! I should already have Markarth!”

Galmar tried to be patient and explain things to his old friend, but Ulfric had been snapping at everyone recently. Usually reasonable, he became quick-tempered and demanding. He didn’t understand what had gotten into his Jarl. Ulfric was methodical and rational, not prone to these types of outbursts.

“We not only need to fight the Imperials, but the Forsworn are crawling everywhere. Our people are repeatedly ambushed... they are like fleas—”

“Enough excuses!”

Galmar sighed and looked at his old friend, hands braced on the table, and leaned in closer to Ulfric across from him. “May I speak freely, my lord?”

“Fine, then. Speak.” Ulfric waved his hand in indifference.

“By Ysmir, what has gotten into you, man?” Galmar was forceful in his words but quiet enough that the staff couldn’t hear him.

“Nothing is wrong. I want this war to be over.”

“With all due respect... horker shit. I need to understand what is going on because I will need to adjust tactics accordingly. I don’t want us rushing things because you are suddenly impatient. Why now? Why are you suddenly wanting to push this so fast? Rushing this war will lead to our defeat. We need to be careful, strategic in our planning.”

Ulfric didn’t want to hear it. He wanted the war to be over and move on with his life. But what was the point? He couldn’t have her.

Galmar interrupted his thoughts as he continued. “You’ve been snapping at everyone... always irritable. You are not the most jovial man, but you are not prone to outbursts either, usually rational. Everyone around you is on edge, walking on eggshells, afraid to set you off. You’ve made more young girls cry in the past week than as long as I have known you. By Talos, what is going on!”

Ulfric’s face softened from his anger. He looked down, feeling ashamed after having Galmar call him out on his temper. The older man was right; this wasn’t like him. He rubbed a hand through his messy hair, and walked over to a chair, and sat down in defeat. “I am not as rational as I thought, old friend. You are right. I am not myself.”

Galmar came over and sat next to his friend. “We’ve been friends for a long time, my Jarl. If you need to talk about something, I will listen and help you as much as I can. I understand you may feel alone being Jarl and leading the rebellion, striving to be High King. Is that what is going on? If I may be so bold, perhaps you need a... woman in your life. You could find one easily enough if you stopped tormenting the courtiers.” He knew Ulfric wasn’t interested in any of the women, but sex could do wonders to a stressed mind.

Ulfric scoffed at the man, but not out of anger directed at his friend. It was the irony of his words. A woman was precisely his problem, and he told Galmar as much. “That is the problem... a woman. She is driving me crazy!” Ulfric placed his head in his hands as he rubbed his face in frustration and back through his already messy hair.

“This woman wouldn’t happen to have dark skin and short black hair, would it?” Galmar observed the unusual attention Ulfric gave the girl the last time she was in the palace. She saved his life twice, and in that time they spent together going back to Windhelm, he figured his Jarl had developed feelings for her. Galmar noted she had as well when he gave her the gift from Ulfric. Now that he looked at the situation from a fresh perspective and seeing how his friend was reacting, he concluded it was about Ulfric’s inability to have her. Unable to do anything about it and the source of his frustration.

“It is” was all Ulfric said, sighing, finally getting the issue off his chest. He had told no one about Anise yet.

“There can be only two reasons for your... frustrations. Either the girl does not want you as you want her, or you believe you cannot have her because of your status.”

Ulfric looked at his friend in admiration for his intuitiveness. The man was an excellent strategist for the war and leading his armies, but his ability to see things on a personal level gave Ulfric greater respect for the man. Ulfric never confessed deep personal feelings with Galmar as he typically bottled things up, so he didn’t realize the extent of his insight. “You see things with clarity… I’m not even sure if she wants me or not. She seems to sometimes, then pushes away. I have pushed her away too, the first time. I have probably caused a lot of confusion for her.”

“Well, judging on the day I saw her, she most likely feels the same as you. So that leaves your status. You want this woman, but she is a Dunmer, and you are afraid of how the people will accept that?”

“Yes. Anise said that the people would never accept her and me together. I had it set in my mind that I had to marry a Nord woman and have Nord heirs, but why do I? Being surrounded by those parasitic courtiers, none could satisfy me intellectually and emotionally as she does.” Anise challenged him. She wasn’t afraid to speak her mind, and he respected her for it.

“I see something which you do not, my friend,” Galmar said, drawing Ulfric’s close attention. “She is the Dragonborn. That makes her your equal despite her being a Dunmer and not of noble birth. People will accept her. Some will resist and hate you for it. So, you need to work with your people. Get them to like her as much as you do,” Galmar explained.

For the first time, Ulfric had a thread of hope as he listened to his friend. “Yes, she is the Dragonborn, and that puts her up higher than she normally would be.”

“You have been working closely with her people now, and I am confident they are coming around to respect you. And her people, at least her mother, have been helping the Nords. That is changing their view of the Dunmer. The girl can bridge the remaining gap between our two people.”

“You think that could work?” Ulfric asked, sitting up with more hope than he recently had, but squashed the idea. “No, I cannot do that to her... use her as some political tool. She would never accept that. Anise would never let herself be used for anything. I accept her as she is completely or not at all. It is another reason I like her so much, as infuriating as it is.

“Then we have to do something different... something you may not like. I am unsure I like it either, but if it means your happiness and hers, then we should try. This war is essential, but what are we fighting for if no one is happy in the end?”

“What are you suggesting, my friend?” Ulfric asked, his interest piqued.

“We fight for an end to the war.”

“No! Absolutely not. I want her, but not at the expense of my people. I will not have them die for nothing!”

“That is not what I am saying. We can do this and bring Talos back, but you have to give up something in return. Something valuable to the Imperials. Then you must make the offer to fight by their side against the Thalmor. I read that dossier you gave me from the Thalmor Embassy. I have been thinking a lot about this, and I think they are the greater enemy. They want us to destroy ourselves. The Imperials should read what happened to you. Make them see what you have been fighting for.”

“What do you think I can give in return?”

Galmar thought about this, and only one thing was valuable to the Imperials... the throne and control over Skyrim. “You must give up your right to the throne and let Elisif become High Queen. I think she would be terrible, but if we are to work with the Imperials, perhaps we can find a better adviser to her. It is giving up a lot, and I honestly don’t like it to be just about a woman, but I am happy to say it won’t be. If we can get Talos back, that would appease our people. It is why we are fighting.... our right to be free and worship who and how we want.”

“I have to think about this. I killed the High King in a rightful challenge for the throne. It is my right. Not just that, but the promise of having Talos returned to us and them reneging is what started this entire war in the first place.”

“Yes, it is your right, and you can continue as we have been and get you the throne. But it will be at the expense of the girl. Nords may tolerate a wife who is Dunmer with you being a Jarl, but not as a High Queen, no matter what you do.”

“I have to think about this…” Ulfric said, frustrated once more. Galmar was right. The people would never tolerate her as High Queen. Though, he was was certain Anise wouldn’t accept it, anyway.

“Think long and hard because this is a big decision. From my perspective, it is best to work with our enemy against a greater one. I realize now the extent of their threat after reading that dossier on you, especially them wanting this war to continue. The Dragonborn can lead the negotiations if she so wishes, which will lead her a step closer to the people’s love.”

Ulfric nodded. “OK, let me think. Thank you, old friend. I needed this.”

“Yes, we are friends, and you are not alone.”

_My dear hla miluth,_

_You will be angry with me once you find out I left you behind. Please forgive me. I ask that a lot, but please understand that I do this to protect you. I know you are a capable woman, but this time it’s my life that I am going to risk. It is my problem, and I’m going to fix it. Please, I beg you, go home, let your mother know I’m fine. I will return when this is over._

_Os daelha ohn yi julikal,_

_Ata_

“If he thinks I’m going to leave him to his fate, he has another thing coming!” Anise yelled out loud, talking to Alkiirvur.

“I not know your father well, but he may know more about the situation. We should go home now, _dur gein._ We have work.”

“I’m not leaving here without him! I know I have to deal with dragons, but I need him by my side, and I can’t do this with just you and me,” Anise insisted.

Alkiirvur was frustrated. They had to deal with Alduin and were continually being side-tracked. But he also understood if his own father were in trouble, he would do what he could to help him. “I know... I not fight you. You always do what you want.”

“I’m sorry, Alkiirvur, but he’s my _ata_.”

“I know I too have a father.”

“If I can just find that pirate ship, I could probably find him. Captain Veleth might have some information on it now, or Geldis.”

Anise couldn’t find Captain Veleth anywhere, deciding to find Geldis at the Retching Netch. She saw him there, wiping some mugs clean with an old rag. It was early morning, so the inn was dead of its usual patrons. 

“Geldis! I need help! I found him!” she yelled out as she ran down the steps.

“What’s goin’ on, Annie? You found that old fetcher?”

“If by ‘old fetcher’ you mean Teldryn, yes, I found him, and then the _s’wit_ ditched me!” Anise gave Geldis a quick rundown of the story and who was after Teldryn, explaining about Sigrun and her revenge. “He needs help. I know he worries about me and my safety, but I can handle myself. I just need help finding him once again, then I need to find the Sea Tiger, which I’m sure is where he’s headed to end things with Sigrun.”

Geldis and Anise couldn’t find Captain Veleth anywhere and found a guard to ask for his whereabouts. 

“He’s gone to fight the pirates. The Captain took a couple of ships and most of the guards to bring it down.”

“You don’t mean Sea Tiger, do you?” Anise asked, even more worried about Teldryn’s life. If he was on the Sea Tiger trying to kill Sigrun, the Redoran Guard could kill him.

“The very same,” confirmed the guard.

“ _N’chow!_ _Ata_ is going to get himself killed! He can’t fight Sigrun and most of the Redorans.”

Geldis looked as worried as she felt. “Wait here a moment. I’m going to put on some armor, and I’m comin’ with you to find that old fetcher.”

“Thank you, Geldis.”

Geldis quickly returned to her wearing his old Morag Tong armor and headed to the docks to find themselves a boat as Anise looked on her map that the guard marked as to the estimated location of the pirate ship. _“I’m sure you won’t miss it with the battle going on,”_ the guard had informed her.

“I hope we aren’t too late, Geldis.”

“Teldryn’s a tough old fetcher. It will take a lot more than that to bring him down, Annie.” Geldis tried to be confident for Anise’s sake, but his eyes conveyed his worry.

They couldn’t find any boats by the docks, so Anise and Geldis had to go in search of one. 

“I think I know where to find one just outside of the city,” Geldis informed her.

When they reached the beach area, dense with seagrass, they didn’t see the nest of ash hoppers. The vile insects were not challenging to dispatch as Anise and Geldis used fire to kill them, but they must have missed one when Anise felt a stinging sensation on her ankle. “Ow!” she yelled out, quickly killing it and healing her ankle.

“You may still want to get that looked at after we find Teldryn.”

It took nearly an hour to get there. The rowing exhausted the older man, and Anise had to take over periodically. 

Anise could see in the distance two large ships with the Redorans shooting fireballs and arrows at the larger Sea Tiger. The pirates were holding their own against the onslaught.

As Anise and Geldis got closer, she told Geldis to talk to Captain Veleth and see if he could stop the battle long enough for her to find Teldryn and get him to safety. Before Geldis could protest, Anise dove off the side of the boat into the water and swam to the Sea Tiger to sneak in.

Anise knew the saltwater would ruin her armor, and she would have to have a new one made, but she didn’t care at that point. Getting to her _ata_ was more important.

She swam around on the other side of the ship, hoping for a way onboard when she found a chain and rope ladder. Climbing to the deck of the vessel, she peered over the edge to make sure the coast was clear. The Redorans preoccupied all the pirates as she sneaked onboard, making her way below deck undetected.

Anise had her bow out, and arrow nocked to maintain her stealth. She didn’t want to exhaust herself before she reached Teldryn, but all was quiet in the hold. The only pirates she found were injured from the ensuing battle above and were no threat. The sound of fireballs hitting the deck was deafening, and she wondered how the ship was still afloat.

She reached the Captain’s quarters, and after a quick search for any information on Teldryn, she found a journal that was apparently Sigrun’s. She pocketed it without reading and moved on. There was no time to waste.

Anise stumbled into areas that were burning and had to go around. She cleared all levels of the ship, but Teldryn was nowhere to be found. _Where is he! He has got to be here! Please don’t tell me I came all this way, and he’s gone or never arrived._ There was also no sign of Sigrun, not that she knew what the woman looked like, but since there was no woman on board, she safely assumed Sigrun was elsewhere.

The bottom level of the ship was for cargo and a brig to hold whoever, but there was no Teldryn. She was about to backtrack in case she missed something when she saw deep gouges in the wood on the floor. _I bet that’s some sort of secret door._ Anise felt around on the wall, finding a small lever behind some wooden planks, and pulled it. 

The door slid open, grating on the floor, and she walked in to find she was face to face with a guard and Teldryn chained to the back wall in manacles, hanging limply. There was no time to worry for him, needing to deal with the guard. He was as wide as he was tall, with rippling muscles, fists out instead of a weapon. She realized he was the one who beat Teldryn unconscious. His fists were his weapons.

The man took a swing at her, but he was too large to move fast, so she fell to the ground and rolled under the man’s legs, standing up behind him. “ _Alkiirvur, I need your shout!_ ”

Alkiirvur used his Frost Form and froze the larger man as Anise ran her sword through his chest, piercing his heart. She had no time to mess around and headed over to take care of Teldryn.

She sheathed her sword and ran to Teldryn and checked for a pulse first. _Thank Azura, he’s still alive!_ His poor face looked like it was used as a practice dummy, which it probably was. After she unshackled him, she tried to ease him to the ground, but he was too heavy, and she dropped him, almost falling on top of him. 

“ _Ata!_ Wake up! We have to get out of here! The ship is on fire!” 

She ran a healing hand through his body, watching his bleeding stop and his bruises heal, but he was still unconscious. Her spell worked its way to his head in case he had concussions. 

“Please, _ata_! I need you to wake up!” she yelled, patting his face gently.

Teldryn’s eyes fluttered open as he groaned in pain. The first thing he saw was Anise’s face. 

“Why are... you... here. Told you to... stay… away.”

“You’re welcome, you damned fetcher. Let’s go... the place is burning! Can you stand?”

“Yes, quit your mothering. I’m fine.” Teldryn stood up on shaky legs and almost fell before Anise caught him. 

She bent down and placed her shoulder under his arm and wrapped her other arm around his waist as she helped him walk. “This way. There should be no one to stop us until we get on deck.”

They made several detours because the ship was burning and listing, filling up with water. It made their escape difficult, climbing up at an angle. When they reached outside, all the pirates were either dead or driven into the water to be scooped up by the Redorans.

Anise saw Geldis in the distance and waved for help. She wanted to jump in the water, but Teldryn was in no condition to swim. 

“Sigrun was not here, _ata_ ,” she said as they waited for the small rowboat.

“I know,” was all he said, grunting from the pain.

“I found her journal. She left it behind in her dash to escape. Maybe we can find out where she went.”

“Thank you for saving me, _hla miluth_.”

She smiled at her _ata_ and gave him a peck on the cheek. “Of course, I did. I love you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: Anise's health takes a dramatic turn.


	25. An Ill Wind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anise should have had that Ash Hopper bite looked at. Teldryn goes into Papa Bear mode with Ulfric, then it was Mama Bear's turn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and commenting! Keeps me truckin' along! <3
> 
> I hope all is well and healthy.

Anise was drained after healing Teldryn after they returned to Raven Rock. Teldryn laid in his bed at their home and healed himself the rest of the way while Anise read through Sigrun’s journal. She tried to discover any clues as to her whereabouts. 

She was curled up in a comfortable chair in Teldryn’s room as he rested. “Sigrun is quite the character. She clearly did not care if you are innocent or not. It says here that even if you didn’t outright kill Voden, you should have watched his back better.”

“I liked the crazy Nord, and he got my name cleared of the death of his child, which was blamed on me, but there was no way I was rushing in there just to die alongside him. I did everything possible to talk him out of trying to kill off a whole horde of bandits.”

“Her last entry shows she didn’t care if her whole crew died during the battle with the Redoran as she fled—live to fight another day with Teldryn, apparently.”

“It’s nice to be wanted,” Teldryn quipped.

“That kind of want gets you killed,” Anise retorted a little too harshly.

“Anything on where she’s hiding?”

“There is a mention of a hideout she uses. Uhm... here it is. There is a cave north of Solitude, but she doesn’t mention exactly where or what it’s called. We will find out.”

“ _Hla miluth_ , I appreciate your help, and I would probably be dead were it not for you, but I don’t want you to risk anymore. I don’t want you to die. Sigrun is a very dangerous woman.”

“I don’t want you to die either. You need help.”

“I’ve lived a long time, and your life is just beginning. I don’t want to cut that short, plus your _alma_ would never forgive me if something happened to you.”

Anise stood to sit next to her _ata_ on the bed to check on him, then planted a kiss on his forehead. “You look better but tired. Get some rest, and we can talk more in the morning.” 

“No, we leave tonight to Skyrim to find Sigrun. The next ship leaves in a couple of hours, and there won’t be another one for three days. If you insist on coming with me, we need to get ready to go.”

Anise yawned and stretched, nodding. “I’m exhausted, myself, but I guess we can sleep on the ship.”

It was dawn when Teldryn woke on the ship. The gentle swaying on the waves lulled him to a night of deep sleep, not to mention his injuries were still on the mend, and he woke up refreshed. Anise was still asleep next to him. He frowned when he looked at her. Her naturally dark skin was pale, and she had a sheen of sweat on her forehead, even though the air was cold. He touched her, which was hot to the touch.

“Wake up, _hla miluth_ ,” he said as he gently shook her awake. “Annie... you don’t look so well. What’s wrong?”

Anise stirred awake and groaned. “Ugh, I don’t feel so good.”

“What’s wrong? Where does it hurt?”

“It hurts everywhere. I’m really weak and drained.”

Anise tried to sit up but barely managed to lift her head and groaned again.

“What happened, girl? Did you come in contact with anything that could make you sick? Did you get hit by a poisoned arrow while you were rescuing me?”

“I don’t think so,” she answered weakly. “Geldis and I just got on a boat to come out to the battle. We stirred up a bunch of ash hoppers. One bit me, but I healed myself. Then I snuck on the ship, but my only confrontation was with the guard.”

“Ash hoppers… _n’chow_! You must have Droops.” Teldryn ticked off his fingers as if counting. “Muscle weakness, barely able to move, fever… Why didn’t you get this treated, Annie!”

“I healed myself.”

“No, you need a special potion to counter the effects of the venom. You were supposed to do it immediately. We talked about this before! Did you forget already?”

“I don’t know... all I could think about was getting to you.”

“Oh, _hla miluth._.. what am I going to do with you?”

Teldryn tried to remain calm for her, but he was panicking on the inside. He didn’t want to tell her that the disease, left untreated, could kill her.

“I sick too…” Alkiirvur complained. “I weak. We cannot be sick need to fight Alduin.”

“Annie, what are you talking about?” _Oh, no, now she’s delirious_.

“It’s my dragon…” she whispered.

“It’s worse than I thought! You are sicker than I thought!”

“Not sick... he’s my dragon... Alkiirvur. Remember, you talked to him last time. I didn’t get a chance to tell you yet... Dragonborn.”

Teldryn remembered Alkiirvur, didn’t understand what she was rambling about being born a dragon, so he let it go. He picked up one of her hands to hold as he stroked a hand on her forehead, brushing away hair out of her damp face. _This is going to be the longest boat ride of my life. Please hang on_ , hla miluth... _hang on_. “ _Os daelha ohn yi julikal,”_ he whispered.

The boy heard the ship was due to arrive soon. He stood on the tower, a hand on his brow to block out the bright light from Mundus as he scanned the horizon over the waters for the boat. They paid him a lot to watch for ships coming in, and when they arrived, to observe who disembarked. The boy was to search for a Dark Elf female with short black hair. There was a lot of coin involved, so he paid close attention.

_There it is!_ He ran down to the docks, waiting as the ship slowly came in and dock. After an hour, it finally moored. He could see two Dark Elves. An older male, with worry on his face, was carrying the female who looked similar to the description they gave him, though she appeared to be very sick or dead.

He ran up to the stone steps, through the city, dodging citizens and merchant, to the Palace. They expected him, so he rushed to the Housecarl and reported all he witnessed. When he left the palace, he tucked away in a corner in an alley and counted all his coins with a broad smile on his face, knowing he was going to eat well that night.

Galmar Stone-Fist rushed up to the Jarl’s private quarters. It was early morning, and Ulfric was probably eating breakfast and reading missives per his custom. He pounded on the door, knowing Ulfric was waiting eagerly for any news on Anise.

“Come.”

“My lord, there is news... she’s here, and—”

Ulfric abruptly stood up and rushed to get dressed. He needed to see her immediately. “Please, my friend, go down and greet her. Please inform her that I would like to speak to her before she does anything.”

“There is a problem…,” Galmar paused, worried how Ulfric would take the news, but pushed on, knowing he would have to tell him, regardless. “She appears to be sick or... dead.”

“What?! What do you mean?!” 

Galmar had never seen Ulfric in such a panic, faced etched in worry. “The boy I had been paying to keep a watch out for her, per your request, reported she arrived from the ship returning from Solsthiem. An older Dunmer male was carrying her and appears to be unconscious or dead. The boy could not tell.”

“Go! Go down there... find her! Please, bring her back here... now!”

Galmar ran to find Anise himself and bring the girl back to the Palace per the demands of his Jarl.

Ulfric rushed to the throne room, not fully dressed, and found his Steward, Jorleif, eating his breakfast. “Jorleif! Go find Wuunferth immediately to see me!”

Ulfric paced back and forth impatiently as he waited for Anise and his Court Wizard. Wuunferth was a master in potions, and if anyone could heal Anise, it would be him. 

Teldryn didn’t understand why the Jarl of Windhelm insisted Anise stay at the Palace for healing, but he wasn’t about to complain. If she had a chance, it would be with the help of capable healers, and the Jarl would have the best. 

He carried her in the throne room when he saw the half-dressed Jarl with worry etched all over his face. _Why does he care so much about my_ julikal _?_ There was concern that the Jarl would also recognize Teldryn since he was the one who signed the bounty on Teldryn’s head. But Jarl Ulfric didn’t appear to recognize him as he rushed to check on Anise. 

“What’s wrong with her? What happened?” Ulfric demanded.

“An ash hopper bit her. Bites need to be treated immediately, but she was... saving my life, and I didn’t know they bit her until we were already on the ship, half-way to Windhelm,” Teldryn explained.

“Give her to me,” Ulfric demanded. “I will take her to a room so she can get treated by my Court Wizard. He is an expert on remedies and potions.” 

Teldryn didn’t want to let Anise go but reluctantly gave in since she was getting heavy. The Jarl took Anise in his arms with little effort and rushed her up to his private living quarters. Teldryn followed close behind.

Ulfric looked at Anise in his arms and could feel she was burning up. She looked deathly ill, and he tried not to panic as he gently laid her on the bed. They reserved the room for nobles who stayed overnight as guests, but it remained empty since he recently kicked them out of the palace.

“Please, I must get her _alma_... her mother. She will want to be by Anise’s side. Can I bring her?” Teldryn asked.

“Galmar! Please send someone to get the Dragonborn’s mother and bring her here,” Ulfric ordered.

“Yes, my lord.”

Teldryn sat down in a chair as the Court Wizard and Jarl Ulfric fussed over his _julikal_. He ran a hand nervously through his fallen mohawk with frayed nerves in the pit of his stomach. _This is all my fault. If she hadn’t been busy saving me, she wouldn’t have been bitten or would have gotten proper treatment_.

“ _Mu haalvut ful kras_ (we feel so sick),” Anise muttered in dragon. “ _Mu ahraan_ (we hurt).”

“I will be back. I have just the thing for the girl,” Wuunferth informed them. “She’s not doing well, and she waited too long to get treatment, so I hope it will be enough.”

Ulfric sat on the side of the bed, holding Anise’s hand, looking down with worry, kissing her fingertips. _Just when I thought I could have her now, it seems something else will take her from me. Please, Gods... do not take her. All of Nirn needs her... I need her._

Teldryn noted the tenderness in which the Jarl was handling his _julikal_. “What is your interest in my _julikal_ , my daughter, my lord? She told me she helped you once, but this is beyond a simple appreciation of her help,” he asked when no one else was around.

“You’re her father, then? She found you... good. She said she left to go help you.”

“Yes, but you still are not answering my question.”

“I think it is clear how I feel about your daughter. I love her.”

“How is that possible? You have done a lot for my people in the Gray Quarter, though I’m not sure why, and I appreciate that, but this isn’t fair for my daughter. She cannot have you. You are a Nord, and she is a... well, you understand what she is. She is not a _n’chow_ novelty. I know Anise well enough that she would never accept you having some affair with her while you go off and marry some noble Nord woman.”

“I know her too, and that she would not accept me as something temporary... her words. She has told me as much. But I still love her, and I’m doing whatever I can to have her by my side. It will not be a simple task, but I’m trying.”

Teldryn got angry at the Jarl. He hoped that this man wasn’t just wanting to be with Anise for novelty's sake, then toss aside like old laundry. It wouldn’t be the first time Nord men have done this with Dunmer women. “If you say you love her, then I hope you accept that she may not. I will not stop you from trying to be with her, but she deserves more than just wealth. She needs love, tenderness, and respect.”

“I will give her all those things and more. She... she does something for me that no one else has. She is a smart, witty, talented artist, strong, and stubborn young woman. I love all of her, even her weaknesses.”

Teldryn wasn’t sure he could trust the man, but he seemed sincere. “I hope so, but if you hurt her…” It was all Teldryn could get out before her mother ran in, hoping he conveyed his message to the Jarl.

“Where is she!” Ridena yelled as she burst through the bedroom with Sofie in tow. “Where’s my girl!” She saw Anise lying on the bed with Ulfric holding her hand, too busy worrying about her daughter to wonder why. “Oh, _yi daelha!”_

“What’s wrong with her?” Sofie asked with tears in her eyes.

Ridena looked over at Teldryn, anger in her eyes. He figured she would be angry with him. “What happened, Teldryn! You ran off, no one knew what happened to you. She went in search for you, and you brought her back half-dead!”

Teldryn couldn’t help but get defensive. “I didn’t send her after me! She said you asked her to look for me!”

Ridena softened to the truth of his words. “You’re right... this is my fault. I’m glad you are well.”

“Enough, now that you have had your reunion. Anise needs quiet and rest,” Ulfric demanded.

“Oh, no! You may rule all of Eastmarch, and you may own this Palace, but this is my daughter! I appreciate your help in treating her, but I’m staying, and I want everyone out except the healer. You too, my lord. Leave her to be in privacy with her mother.” Ridena was not to be trifled with as she ushered everyone out of the room except for Sofie, who was still too young to be on her own now that she was under Ridena’s care.

Wuunferth handed Ridena a few bottles of a cure disease potion specifically made for Droops. “Give her this once in the morning and once in the evening. There are only three, but I’m making more. I will bring you what I have made in the morning. It will take a few days for it to push the disease out of her system. If she can survive until then, she will live.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Ridena sat on the side of the bed and ran a cold, wet cloth around Anise’s face to keep the fever down. Then she pulled the covers off of Anise to keep her body cool and cracked a window. Her fever did not need the extra heat. 

“ _Dovah ni kras_ (Dragons do not get sick)...” Anise mumbled.

Ulfric had made repeated attempts to see Anise, but it was all in futility. Her mother would allow no one into the room other than servants for food, to help keep Anise clean and Wuunferth with more potions or to check on her.

By day three, Anise still lived, much to the relief of those that cared about her, but she was still weak and not awake. At least she would live. Despite that knowledge, Ulfric was a wreck with worry, stressed they wouldn’t allow him to see her. As Jarl, he could have demanded, but he respected her mother’s wishes. 

Ulfric spent his time writing her brief notes and sending them to her with a servant. She couldn’t read them yet, but he wanted to tell her that while he couldn’t be with her, he was thinking of her.

After five days, there was a slight knock on his private dining-room door. It was a place he worked to be close to Anise since she was in the next room over. “Come.”

Ulfric looked up when Anise’s mother walked in. He abruptly stood with a sinking feeling in his stomach, worried something had happened to Anise. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you. I just wanted to let you know personally that Anise is much better and is awake... if you would like to visit with her.”

“I very much would like to see her, thank you,” he said, emotion in his voice. The relief he felt nearly collapsed him.

“Wait... before you go, I have something to say to you. I know you have some sort of interest in my daughter. Your tenacity at trying to see her and all the little notes, which I have not read, is a good sign, but I just got her back... barely. If you do anything to hurt my girl... so help me, I will unleash every plane of Oblivion upon you. Do you understand?”

The look on her face showed Ulfric that she may have even been capable of such things. He agreed since he would never intentionally hurt Anise, and he told her mother as much. “I would never hurt her.”

“Very well, you may go see her now.”

Ulfric gave her a slight bow out of respect and quickly headed to see Anise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: Anise spends time at the Palace in recovery
> 
> I have started a new story and would love to know what you think. It's an enemies-friends-lovers story of Kaidan and a Thalmor Justiciar.
> 
> [Breaking Orenwen](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23832874)


	26. Recoveries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Anise recovers, Ulfric finally gets the chance to profess everything to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Would love to know what you think <3

Teldryn received word of his daughter’s recovery from Ridena, much to his relief. Once she was out of danger, he packed his belongings and headed to Solitude, then north, to find Sigrun and put an end to her once and for all. It was time he moved on in his life, back into the arms of Ridena. He wanted to make sure he did this without Anise, not about to risk her life again. He wrote a quick note to Ridena to explain precisely what he was doing and would write when he was on his way home. His note explained he wanted to sit down and discuss some essential things pertaining to both of them when he returned.

Ulfric knocked softly on the door, not wanting to startle her and to make sure she wasn’t indecent before he walked in. He was so nervous, not used to his stomach fluttering when he heard the weak voice telling him to come in. He faced Kings; fought in battles. How did this young woman have him so rattled?

He walked in, hoping he looked more collected than he felt, shutting the door behind him. It was taking all his will not to rush to her, to hold her, to kiss her. She had distressed him for days, and it was good to be with her finally, but he wanted to be calm for her as well.

Ulfric sat down on the edge of the bed next to her and held her hand, not liking how it was so cold. She looked so fragile and pale, eyes swollen from the illness and being tired. 

“Hey... it seems like you are taking care of me once again. I’ll try not to make a habit out of this. Though you know me... always striving to kill myself unintentionally,” Anise quipped, but it came out flat and nearly a whisper, her voice hoarse from misuse.

“Yes, you seem to stumble into danger quite often, or does it just stumble into you. I still haven’t figured that out. But I’m glad you came home, and I got you to get the proper care. I…” Ulfric wasn’t able to finish his words and just played with the fingers on her hand. The relief of seeing her alive was overwhelming. He cleared his throat to get himself under control, pushing his stoicism outward. “You worried me.”

“Thank you, Ulfric. Alkiirvur was a little worried too for a while. As soon as I woke up, he inundated me with complaints. Apparently, he was sick too and didn’t like it one bit.”

“You never allowed to get sick again, _dur gein_!” the dragon pouted, as if on cue.

Anise smiled, visualizing the dragon sulking, curling up around himself on the ground, still in recovery. His blue and white scales not as bright as usual.

“I’m sorry, Alkiirvur. I will try to endeavor to be less of a disaster.” She looked at Ulfric, worry clear on his face, though she knew he went to great lengths to hide it. 

“Would you mind handing me my bag? I have something I need to show you.”

Ulfric handed her pack, but she was too weak to sit up. “Let me... what am I looking for specifically?”

“It’s a pamphlet... a wanted poster.”

Curious, Ulfric dug in her pack and pulled out the parchment with her father’s face on it, seeing he signed it. “What is this?”

“You signed it, did you not? My _ata_ is innocent. There is proof, but we have to find it. He said he knows where it is. Can... can you remove the bounty for now? Give us time to find it?”

“I wish I could help, but I have never seen this in my life. I signed no such bounty, and I would have remembered a bounty for that much reward. It is clearly a fake.”

“Oh…,” she said disappointedly. “I don’t know what to do now.” Her illness had already taken its toll on her, and it took little to bring out the tears, feeling useless, unable to help her _ata_.

“Bring me the proof, and I will sign a decree declaring his innocence. That should help deal with anyone who tries to claim the fake bounty,” he offered, but it wasn’t nearly enough, especially after seeing Anise’s eyes well up in tears. It killed him, he wasn’t able to do more.

“Thank you for that.” Anise yawned and wiped away a couple of tears that strayed, still exhausted. “How are you, my lord?”

“Ulfric... no one is here.” He ran a hand through his mussed blonde hair, torn with how much to tell her or not. He resigned to the fact that he couldn’t keep the truth from her and told her how her illness impacted him. “Don’t you ever scare me like that again. I know you didn’t do it on purpose, but…” His brows furrowed, unable to finish nor look at her as he continued to play with her fingertips.

Anise could see how torn he was. “Ulfric? Why am I here? I appreciate all you have done for my family and me, but why?” She was so exhausted, and the illness took a toll on her physically, her emotions were already raw. Tears formed in her eyes once more, remembering their last time together, the day she fled from his arms. “Why can’t you just leave me be? I can’t have you, so I need to have a life without you, but you are not making it easy. _N’chow!_ I keep going full-circle back to you. Every time you are out of my life, it seems fate laughs in my face and thrusts me back to you once more.”

“It is simple. I love you.”

Anise removed her hand from his and rolled over, away from him as she cried into her pillow. She didn’t want to hear it; angry at herself that she was crying again, unable to reel it in. She wondered if he was feeling more for her based on how he was behaving, but it wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair to tell her he loved her, knowing they couldn’t be together. “Don’t do this to me…” she said, voice muffled by the pillow. 

“Anise... Ann, please. Don’t turn away. Talk to me.” Ulfric reached out to turn her around, but she gently shrugged him off. He hoped his confession would please her, not hurt her more.

“Leave me alone, please.”

He lamented that his words hurt her, but he foolishly thought they would make her happy, that it was what she wanted. Anise’s distraught reaction confused him. She was in recovery, and he had not intended to make her upset. He didn’t regret how he felt about her. Perhaps it was the timing of it all. She wasn’t the only one who hurt. Ulfric planned and to do what he could to be with her and she rebuked him… again.

Ulfric made one more plea. “Please, I don’t want to go yet. I want to be by your side.”

“If you care about me as much as you say you do, then please leave me to my thoughts. I am tired and just want to be alone.”

Ulfric reluctantly got up, not wanting to leave her, to explain to her how he was trying to make it work for them, but he respected her wishes. When he reached the door, she called out to him. “Please tell my _alma_ she can go home now too. I... need some time alone.”

The next morning, Anise woke to a young Nord serving girl bringing her breakfast and tea. Her lovely red hair falling out in long strands from under her cap as she flitted about opening curtains to bring in more light and put more wood on the fire in the hearth. The girl came over to Anise and helped her sit up in bed, propped up pillows, and brought her breakfast over to her with efficiency. Then the young servant handed her a stack of letters.

“What are these?” Anise asked, looking through each folded letter as if she could see through the parchment.

“Letters, my lady... from my lord. He sent one to you twice a day while you were sick. I will return in a little while and draw you a bath.”

“Thank you very much…”

“I’m Ingen, my lady.”

“Thank you, Ingen.”

Anise wasn’t hungry even though she had eaten little for days, so she just sipped her tea instead. She knew she lost a lot of weight with the shift hanging so loose on her body. 

As she sipped her tea, she opened up the first sealed letter, curious what he wrote to her. Though it intrigued her, she didn’t rush to read it. She still couldn’t understand why he told her he loved her. They were words she would have loved to hear if their situation was different. _He knows we cannot be together, so why would he say such things? I don’t believe he was trying to be cruel, but as soon as I’m able, I have to go. I can’t stay here._

She almost didn’t read the letters before her, afraid to, but her hands ignored her mind as she opened the first one. She exhaled, not realizing she held her breath when she read it was from her mother letting her know that Teldryn ran off again to find the vile woman, Sigrun. It irritated Anise that he went off alone once more, but she knew her _ata_ would never let her follow after being so sick. Anise just hoped he came back home safely, or she was going to kick his ass from the grave.

Finally, she opened the first letter from Ulfric and read it. It wasn’t very long. 

_Dear Ann,_

_I wish I could be there with you while you recover. Your mother has kicked out everyone, even me... in my own home. I have to admit; the woman scares me a little. But I understand the need for privacy. I will sit and wait with little patience, hoping you recover soon._

_Yours,_

_Ulfric_

She smiled, imagining her mother kicking out the Jarl. Her _alma_ was quite an imposing woman. It made her laugh in her head. Then she opened the next one, noting that he had taken to calling her Ann. She liked it in a certain way.

_Dear Ann,_

_I sit and work close by, not daring to stray far, needing to be close when you recover. I cannot get thoughts of you out of my mind, and I hope you survive. Not just to live, but so I can tell you how much I need you... no; I want you by my side._

_Yours,_

_Ulfric_

Several other letters made the same declarations and hopes that she would recover soon, that he missed her. The next message was longer. It was all so surreal to Anise. She was not used to men interested in her to the extent Ulfric appeared to be. She couldn’t even recall one man ever telling her he loved her, or that she was beautiful.

_Dear Ann,_

_It has been three days, and everyone says you will now survive. You are still not awake, so my doubts remain until I can finally see you and talk to you. I want to write this out, even if you do not see it. It is my way to let you know what my plans are concerning us._

_Galmar and I have been talking, trying to find a way for me to be with you and have my people accept it. I never wanted you temporarily, Ann. You are so much more of you than that. We are working on ways to end the war and bring Talos back to the people. I am going to give up my rights to the throne as part of the negotiations. Then I will work with the Imperials to stop the Thalmor. I just need you to recover so you can be by my side during the talks and be with me. I need you._

_If I can give my people what they want, Talos, then their lives weren’t wasted from this war. Your recent discoveries into the Thalmor have shown me they are the more significant threat and that possibly the Imperials know this. There is more, but if, no; when you recover, we can talk more._

_You are the Dragonborn. You are my equal. Never forget that._

_Yours,_

_Ulfric_

She understood he intended this letter to be a happy one for her—to find the answers to which they sought so they can be together, but all it did was anger her. Why would he believe she would allow him to give up his goals and dreams for her? Did he really think she would demand such things from him just to have him? 

Anise wrote a quick note to Ulfric and stood, still weak, to get dressed when Ingen walked in to get her bath ready. 

“My lady, I have your bath ready in the next room.”

“I need to speak with the Jarl immediately.”

“You must take a bath now,” the girl ordered. She saw the woman about to protest but spoke up before she could argue. “You cannot see him anyway as he is busy in a meeting.”

“Fine, after my bath then. Would you please deliver this note to him then?”

“I will do as you ask, my lady.”

“It’s Anise. I’m no lady.”

“You are Dragonborn.”

“I am nothing! I’ve done anything to merit that status!” she yelled, immediately regretting her lashing out at the girl. It was more of a reaction to Ulfric’s letter than about her being Dragonborn. “I’m sorry I yelled. I am just so tired and frustrated.”

“It is fine... Anise. This way to the bath. I promise it will make you better.”

Ingen was right. Anise felt renewed after her bath. All the sickness seemed to wash away in the warm water. She was still weak and needed help to get dressed, but she refused to go back to bed, and instead sat by the fire to read a book. Her eyes saw the words, but her mind couldn’t focus on them.

A couple of hours after Ingen delivered her note, there was a soft knock on her door. 

“Come in,” Anise said, nervously flattening any potential wrinkles out of the skirt of her dress.

Ulfric entered the room, seeing her looking better after bathing and eating. He wanted to get to her sooner, but with the war still going on, he couldn’t ignore his duties. “I got your note, Ann. You would like to talk now?”

Anise was curled up in a soft chair next to the fireplace and indicated he should sit next to her in the other chair. When he sat down, she took a deep breath to calm herself. She wanted to get her point across without getting angry at the man, grateful Ingen didn’t let her go storming off earlier.

“I read all your letters. First, I would like to thank you for them. It was nice that you were thinking of me... it was very thoughtful.”

“I see a ‘but’ in there,” he said, sensing a familiar dread in the pit of his stomach. A feeling he knew all too well regarding Anise.

“Yes, there is a ‘but.’ I am trying to understand, to figure things out, but you are not making it easy for me.” Anise paused, trying to keep her composure as she chose her words carefully to get him to understand without lashing out. 

“The letter you wrote about you wanting to end the war was... too much. How dare you think I would accept such a thing. I said I wanted you, but I never once asked you to give everything up for me! I told you when I left I wasn’t giving you some ultimatum!” She was trying not to yell, but it made her angry that he thought she was so petty, so shallow, that she would accept an arrangement such as this. It didn’t help that her illness lingered and left her still heavy with emotions.

“I... I don’t understand.” Ulfric was trying to be patient, but he was giving up a lot for her, and she saw it as something negative, a slight to her character. “I have given you—”

Anise held up a hand to stop him. “No, I am not done. Do you really think me so petty and selfish that I would ever ask you to give up so much for me? I know you think you are doing a good thing here and finding a way for us to be together. I... appreciate your intentions, but I would never, ever ask you to give up the throne for me! Do you really think that lowly of me?”

Ulfric never found a person to leave him so verbally flustered, so at a loss for words. He dealt with kings, Jarls, nobles, generals. And here was this Dunmer woman who was leaving him floundering. “I... no…”

Angry tears spilled out of her eyes, brushing them away, hating them. “I care for you, Ulfric. I... I would love nothing more than to be with you. Do not mistake my anger for hatred or unappreciation, but I am not the sort of woman who would give you such ultimatums. If you think that is something I would ask of you, then surely you do not know me as you believe. You said once you ‘saw me.’ Now I see that you do not.” She finished talking as she silently cried, hurt, staring off into the fire. 

Ulfric didn’t utter a word for a moment, thinking about what she was saying, not realizing how his decision would affect her. “I think I understand now. Forgive me, Ann. I seem to blunder a lot around you as I am not used to courting women. And you are not like the noblewomen who are just replicas of themselves... uninteresting, predictable. When you told me you weren’t giving me an ultimatum, I believed you. I did not make this decision lightly or rashly. After having a long talk with Galmar, we both came to the same conclusion that this would be the best course of action regardless if you decide to be with me or not. I would prefer we were together. I won’t deny that.”

_Was it true? Did he choose this path with or without me?_ she wondered, looking at up him to see the truth of his words. 

“I am not blind that if you want to be with me, many people will not love you as I do, even being the Dragonborn. That is why I wanted you to be part of the negotiations. If I could give Nords what they want—what they are fighting for, and you were a part of that, they would come to love you too, or at least appreciate you more. I don’t want to be with some Nord noblewoman. I want to be with you.”

“You... you would have done this, anyway? Is that what you are saying?” she asked.

Ulfric sensed his tension leave when she looked at him, hearing his words, understanding their implications. “That is what I am saying. I was letting you know in my letter that was my plan, but I will not deny that this allows us to be together. My initial thought was to find a way to be with you, but after discussing strategies, Galmar and I realized this would be the best course of action for Skyrim... with or without you. I rather it be with you.”

Anise deflated and suddenly felt tired. “I’m so sorry. I should have known better,” she said, covering her teary eyes with her hands.

Ulfric came over to Anise, kneeling by her, and pulled her hands from her face, holding them. “I think we are both trying to figure things out. This situation is unique for both of us.” Ulfric tugged at her hands and pulled her onto his lap by the fire. She rested her head on his shoulder as he cradled her, brushing her hair that was growing out away from her eyes, and kissed her forehead.

“I’m so tired now,” she said, yawning as if to prove her point.

Ulfric helped her up and brought her to bed, tucking her under the covers and kissed her forehead once more, not caring she was still in her dress. As he was pulling away, she grabbed his hand. “Can you stay for a while? Lie down with me? Or will that cause too much of a stir around here?”

“I can. Let them stir.”

Ulfric removed his shoes and curled up next to Anise, pulling her closer to him as she nuzzled her face into his neck. “We only held each other for three days, but it seems for so much longer. I miss it so much. You smell much better this time.”

Ulfric barked a laugh. “I miss it too... and so do you.”

“You finally mate now, yes?” Alkiirvur asked, part in jest and part because he still wanted to see it.

“Alkiirvur, you are one nosy dragon,” Ulfric said, though not in anger.

Anise snorted a laugh. “Perverted dragon…”

After a few more days, Anise was almost fully recovered, and she had to make plans to leave and continue on with her Dragonborn duties. She still had to return the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller to the Graybeards and then on to find this Esbern in Riften.

There was a tentative knock on her bedroom door, and before she could answer it, Ingen walked in with a large package. “This has come for you, my... Anise.”

“What is it?” 

“It is from the Jarl, is all I know.”

Anise took the package from the young girl, thanking her, and opened it to find a whole new set of armor. She forgot she ruined her other armor from the saltwater back in Solstheim. Ulfric must have had some made for her. It was not as supple as her old armor, but it was no less beautiful, perhaps more so. 

After Ingen left, Anise removed her clothes to try it on and found it fit perfectly. It was dark brown, and the jacket had beautiful buckles made of silver. To match the armor was also a long cloak inlaid with soft and thick bear fur. Her last armor was of Dunmer design. This set was all Nordic.

There was a letter that came with it from Ulfric.

_Dear Ann,_

_I saw your armor was destroyed, so I hope you don’t mind I took the liberty of making you a new set. I have no doubt of its functionality or that it is beautiful on you._

_Please meet me in my private dining area tonight just before it gets dark._

_Yours,_

_Ulfric_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: Adrenaline isn't the only thing that is produced after a battle.


	27. In the Heat of Battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anise and Ulfric try to rekindle things with dinner once more before being interrupted by a dragon attacking Windhelm. After the dragon, they rekindle things, alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sexual content, thus NSFW. 
> 
> Thank you for reading and comments! It means so very much! <3

Ingen assisted Anise with her bath and got her ready for dinner with the Jarl. The red dress was more complicated than she was used to, with the thin ribbon set upon hooks rather than through holes of the corset. Ingen had to help her, as Anise struggled, but the girl was only happy to assist. Once dressed, the young girl brushed out Anise’s hair and styled it as much as the short hair would allow, though it was growing out. 

“You look pretty, Anise. You are so lucky to have the attention of the Jarl himself. It gives us regular girls hope for more than the life we have been given.”

“Oh, I don’t know. I kind of stumble my way along in life and wonder how I got to where I am sometimes without being dead. Nothing I have done, I sought after. It has been around a year and a half since I first left Windhelm, and it has been quite the whirlwind. I’m not sure I would wish that on anyone.”

“But he seems to be so in love with you! Many women have tried with him. I see all the courtiers stumbling over themselves for his attention, but he never notices or they irritate him. Then there are petty squabbles when he’s not around. He only pays attention to you. He only sees you.”

Anise chuckled at the visual that popped in her head of proper noble girls fighting among themselves, dresses torn to shreds, perfect hair yanked out with angry hands.

“I like him too, but I have pushed those thoughts aside for too long, still trying to figure it out. But you know, it wasn’t always mutual. I couldn’t stand him for a long time,” Anise explained.

Ingen put some earrings in Anise’s ears and clipped Ulfric’s amulet around her neck. “He can be a hard man, but I believe he is good and has a kind heart. He is not bad to his servants, at least. I heard some horror stories of other nobles and how they treat us.”

“I have had my fair share of the abuses from nobles. I completely understand.”

“Oh, were you a servant once? I find that hard to believe!” 

Ingen seemed genuinely surprised, but Anise wondered why. Dark Elves weren’t treated well here, and most were in poverty, even though things were getting better. But Anise kept silent about it. _Maybe the girl doesn’t get out much_.

“Yes, I used to work as a cleaning girl for a noblewoman here in the city. She was... cruel with her words, and that is me being kind.”

“I am very sorry to hear that. I am glad you don’t live that life any longer. Okay, we are all done. Have a lovely evening, Anise!”

“Thank you, Ingen. You do wonderful work with what you have.”

Anise walked to the dining room, nervous as she was the last time, wiping clammy palms on her dress skirts. It didn’t escape her notice that she was reliving the day before she left for Solstheim— _more like fled_. She was so anxious that night, and Ulfric did whatever he could to make her comfortable. She could imagine his disappointment when she ran away after all his efforts. This time she forced herself to deal with it by putting one foot in front of the other with slow breaths, in and out. 

Not moments after she walked in, Ulfric came out of his room looking handsome and sharply dressed in a dark blue embroidered tunic. She sucked in a breath to still her nerves as Anise sauntered over to him, clasping her arms around his neck to embrace him. 

He gave her a sweet smile and slid his arms around her lower back, resting his face on her neck, and clung to her. His hands glided on the smooth fabric of her waist. _This is how it should be. She fits perfectly in my arms._

“It seems we are playing the same song and dance as last time. I will do my best not to flee this time.” Anise meant this in jest, but it was also a promise. She wanted to let him know she would not run this time. 

She gazed up into his blue eyes, a small smile playing on her lips. “My _ata_ calls me _hla miluth_ , which means ‘little bird.’ I suppose it’s an apt name.”

“ _Hla miluth_? Did I pronounce that correctly? I like the sound of that,” Ulfric said.

“I also want to thank you for the new armor. You didn’t have to do that, but it is beautiful, and I appreciate it very much.”

“It was my pleasure.”

Ulfric pulled away from Anise just enough to cup her face in his hands, seeing her deep red eyes darken, and gave her a small, but tender kiss. 

“You look beautiful in your red dress, as I knew you would be. It matches your eyes perfectly.”

“Perhaps you should deal in women’s fashion instead of ruling Windhelm, my lord,” she teased.

“Hmm, perhaps that is my new calling. Seriously, as much as I would like to take credit, the dress was Ingen’s choice.”

“Remind me to thank her, then,” Anise said.

They broke away in time before all the servants came bustling in, bringing food and wine, setting it all on the table. Ulfric helped Anise get seated, then sat down as the servants filled their plates and poured their wine. 

When the servants left the room, Ulfric raised his goblet as she raised hers in response. “To a hopeful future for us both.”

“To our future,” she repeated. “What is the plan for our future, then? Assuming I will live through all this.”

Ulfric reached for her hand, grasping it on the table, watching her eyes go from pleasure to uncertainty. “The thought has crossed my mind you may not. Your journey will not be easy, Ann, but I will do everything in my power to help you... to ensure you get back to me. While you are away, I will do my best to start the negotiation process, if they will even hear me.”

“Some things may be out of your control, Ulfric.”

“Not if I can help it,” he said, his voice stern, determined. He was one who was used to getting his way.

“I hope so. Anyway, I have to go to High Hrothgar then to Riften to find this man who works for the Blades, who may have some ideas on how to defeat Alduin. After that, I will return and see where we are. If you need my help, I will do as much as I can. What if I talk to the Graybeards about a neutral place to meet for the negotiations? Everyone respects them, right? I still have to return that cursed horn, anyway.”

Ulfric pulled up her hand towards his lips and kissed it. “See, I knew we would make an excellent team. I think that is a fine idea.”

Anise took a bite of the venison in wine sauce with the roasted vegetables, more at ease than she had the last time, perhaps because there were fewer unknowns, that there were at least plans in store for both of them to be together. It gave her hope. 

He watched Anise eat each bite, savoring her food. Her long bangs fell on her face as she bent over her plate with each bite, annoying her. Then she would try to tuck it back behind her ear. He loved her splash of freckles across her nose and wanted to kiss them. He desired to kiss a lot more than cute skin blemishes at the moment, but he restrained himself. _There is time_ , he reminded himself. Now that there was a chance to be together, and she was willing, all the stresses of the past several months seemed to wash away. He was finally at ease.

“I have a special treat for dessert,” Ulfric said, an eyebrow cocked with a smirk, knowing she loved sweets after talking with her mother.

Anise, with the word ‘dessert,’ was at complete attention until the loud banging on the door to the dining room startled them. 

Ulfric’s face changed from tender to angry red in mere seconds with the interruption and pounding of the door. He abruptly stood to answer the door and yell, but he was face to face with Jorleif, who tried to be calm, but the fear was clear in his eyes. “My lord, you must come at once... the Dragonborn as well. There has been a dragon sighting over the city!” 

That was then they could hear people scrambling, shouting out orders, and the bells of the city tolling warnings to the citizens. Ulfric looked over at Anise, who was quickly by his side with worry etched on her face. 

“I’m sorry, my lord. I have to go,” she said as she rushed off, cursing another lovely evening missed with Ulfric. 

He watched her run to her room to gather her gear, but he wasn’t about to be left behind. This was his city too, and he was going to help defend it. “Jorleif, get my sword... hurry!”

Anise blew by him, running and holding up her skirts so she wouldn’t trip, and he ran down to catch up to her. Once she reached the throne room, she let go of her dress as it flowed behind her in a mass of red fabric. Her new jacket was on, unbuckled, with her sword in hand, bow, and quiver on her back. She was struggling to run in the dress, and he hoped she didn’t trip over it, knowing how accident prone she was. But he loved how brave she was, running right into danger with no hesitation.

When he reached the door, Jorleif was there with Ulfric’s sword and his cloak. He wished there was time to put on armor, but he couldn’t sit behind closed doors getting dressed while the dragon attacked his city, even with Anise there as Dragonborn to help.

Anise reached the outer perimeter of the city near the stables where the dragon was flying, the sound of its wings thunderous, its roar deafening. It had yet to attack the city. 

“Ready, Alkiirvur?!” she yelled out. 

“I have been ready!” he responded.

“Stay back, my lord,” Anise yelled at Ulfric when she saw him approach. 

“No, this is my city!” Ulfric yelled back over the noise, surprised she wasn’t arguing. She was too busy cutting and tearing the skirts off of her beautiful new dress with her sword so she could move more freely. It exposed her dark and shapely legs all the way to the knees. This wasn’t the time to ogle.

The brown dragon flew close overhead when he caught sight of the Dragonborn. He hovered over her head, its massive wings creating gusts of wind that made Anise even colder than she already was, blowing snow in all directions. 

“ _Zu’ los saraan ahrk hi, Alkiirvur ahrk Dovahkiin_ (I have waited, and you arrive, Alkiirvur and Dragonborn)!” it said in low grunts. Anise could almost see it smiling in glee, ready to kill the Dragonborn. “ _Zu’u mindok hi lost het fod zu’u bo naal_ (I knew you were here when I flew by)!”

“ _Hi fen laan wah dir ruz_ (You must be ready to die then)!” Alkiirvur yelled out in Anise’s voice.

“Enough of the banter! Time to die, you ugly, _n’wah_!” Anise had her bow out as she fired arrows, one after the other, at the creature. The guards of Windhelm took the Dragonborn’s cue and fired their own arrows at the vile dragon.

“This one will be difficult, _dur gein_ , he is very old, ancient!” Alkiirvur yelled out to her.

“Fantastic,” she deadpanned.

It flew off with an angry roar before it turned around again and headed straight for them. The creature blasted fire as it swept by, incinerating several guards as Ulfric and Anise rolled out of the way just in time. 

“We have to get it to the ground!” she yelled at Ulfric and all the guards. “Keep firing arrows... wear it down!”

“Alkiirvur, next time it flies by, try to hit it with your ice shout!”

“I will do my best, hard when a dragon fly fast.”

As soon as the dragon flew by, Alkiirvur shouted his ice form but missed. He would have to adjust for speed and timing the next time, but the next time he missed his chance as everyone dove for cover as the dragon blasting everyone with fire once more. 

Anise felt a burning sensation as she looked down to see the bottom of her dress on fire. She quickly patted it out with her hand before it did any more damage.

The dragon was confident that it was defeating the pesky _joore_. He hovered over the Dragonborn, ready to blast her with fire, but Anise took aim with her bow and fired an arrow right down its throat as Alkiirvur shouted his ice form. It brought the giant dragon, covered in ice, to the ground. 

“Time to die!” she yelled out as she rushed the dragon on the ground, still frozen, but she knew it wouldn’t be for much longer as the ice crumbled about. She really needed to learn more shouts as the two she knew were useless against dragons. If she killed this one, then Alkiirvur could teach her another shout, perhaps one more useful.

The giant dragon broke free of the ice before she reached it, and it snapped its massive maw, barely missing her. “Surround it!” she ordered. Anise was too focused on the dragon to pay attention to what everyone else was doing or if Ulfric was by her side as she stabbed the dragon with a flurry of cuts. All her attack accomplished was to agitate the creature and sent Anise sprawling with its sharp tail, knocking the wind out of her for a moment. 

She noticed firm hands lift her up, but ignored them, running back to the dragon to continue her assault. The dragon saw her coming and swiped its tail once more at her as one swatted a fly away, but it was too high. She landed hard on her bare knees to duck under the tail and thrust the sword upward in its delicate underbelly. Anise knew she made her mark when she could hear the dragon roar in anger as it bled out all over her arm. Her successful hit encouraged the rest of the soldiers to fight harder. 

With bloodied knees and shins, she climbed the dragon while they distracted it to shove her sword in its head, which was the best way to kill it. It tried to shake her off as she held on tight to keep from being flung against the rocks below, scales digging into her flesh, bleeding.

“One more time, Alkiirvur!” 

The old dragon became ice once more. The coldness penetrated through Anise’s thin clothing. She was shivering uncontrollably, mucus from her nose running down her face, but got to the dragon’s head and finally stab it through its brain. When the ice broke away, the dragon fell to its death. Not wanting to fall on her back as she did last time, she clung for dear life, wrapped around its neck as it fell. Once it was down, Anise was afraid to move. She was in so much pain, her own blood mingling with the dragon’s as it seeped down its neck.

There was cheering and clapping that the dragon was dead, everyone congratulating each other on not dying as they watched in awe while she absorbed the dragon's soul.

When the absorption finished, Anise could feel strong hands reach for her and try to pry her off the dragon, but she was holding on too tightly, eyes closed. 

“Ann... you need to let go, sweetheart.”

Once the battle was over, Anise could then sensed the pain coming from her injuries on her legs from falling and being cut by the hard dragon scales. “It hurts and my face is covered in snot. I now understand why people wear armor.” Her eyes were closed tightly from the pain, but she knew it was Ulfric who was trying to get her down.

He laughed under his breath. “I know. But you can’t heal if you don’t let go and come down. I think I have a handkerchief around here somewhere in my cloak..”

With a slight nod, she opened her eyes and could see everyone watching her, waiting to see if she was okay. She wiped her nose ungraciously with the back of her hand and tentatively let the dragon go and almost fell to the ground before Ulfric caught her. She looked up at him to see him covered in blood, unsure if it was his or the dragons. There was a look of worry on his face as he held her. 

“Are you hurt, my lord?”

“Oh, a few bumps and bruises. Nothing to worry yourself over.”

Anise ran a shaking, glowing hand along her body as she healed herself as much as she could, wounds closing, though she still covered in blood. “I think I can stand now.”

Ulfric put her down, and when she stood, everyone cheered her, clapping that she was fine. She noticed the heat creep up her face in embarrassment, not used to so much attention, and that she was half-naked, her dress in tatters.

Anise was shivering uncontrollably from the cold, wrapping her jacket tightly around her, and she wanted to reach for Ulfric for warmth. She didn’t know how the people would react, so she started limping back to the castle as the people continued to cheer. “All hail the Dragonborn,” many yelled out.

Ulfric saw her fight that dragon in admiration, but he worried for her as well. She may have been the Dragonborn, but the battle was hard-fought, and she wasn’t alone. It troubled his mind and heart, wondering if she would live through all this. He handed her his handkerchief to wipe her nose as he wrapped his cloak about her. Then he guided her back to the castle with an arm wrapped around her.

Once inside, Ulfric yelled out to the staff to ready a bath, and they went back up to his room, where she sat by the fire to get warm and finish healing herself. 

“Oh, that’s so much better. That hurt... a lot.” She stood, stretching, feeling better as her torn, burned, and cut skirts raised above her thighs when her arms reached towards the ceiling. “My poor, beautiful dress. _B’vehk!_ That was a tough…” Anise didn’t have time to finish what she was saying when Ulfric came up behind her, as his hand roamed along her waist, gripping her hair to expose her neck for kisses. She mewled at the unexpected sensation, sending a wave of warmth through her body that rushed between her legs.

She and Ulfric, still high on adrenaline and endorphins, found themselves hungry for each other. No, they were starving. Neither cared if they were filthy and covered in blood. His lips sought hers, tongues exploring, breathing heavy. He yanked off her jacket and ripped off her dress as it was already in tatters, not wanting to deal with the intricacies of ribbon and lace, impatient to have her. Once it was gone, his lips plunged down her neck and shoulders as her head went back, moaning, her body shuddering under his hands.

All thoughts went blank as her primal brain clicked on, thinking of nothing other than his touches and having him. She ran hands through the back of his head and tangled in his soft hair in between fingers as his lips planted kisses around her neck and ears. She, too, wanted a taste of him as she nibbled on his neck as well, rewarding her with a wave of moans coming from his throat. 

Suddenly she shoved him off of her, and before he could react, she yanked his torn tunic over his head and boldly ran a hand in between his legs through his breeches, touching his hardness through the cloth which sent another wave of warmth and wetness between her legs. _Oh, Gods, have mercy on me_ , she thought, hoping Ulfric would show her none at that moment.

Ulfric saw her bite her bottom lip as she felt his hardness, eyes feral with lust. He pushed her back in return, as he quickly removed his pants and smalls, then removing her breast band.

Ulfric was hungry for her, wanting to taste her, to have her. Nothing short of the end of the world was going to stop him this time, pleased she wanted him just as much as he wanted her, sensing her own hunger. He grabbed one of her plump breasts and eagerly ran a tongue around her nipple, pinching the other. She rewarded him with her mewls, weakening her as she fell to her knees, pulling him down with her.

A hand pressed to her back, he gently laid her down on the fur in front of the fire and yanked off her smalls. Ulfric ran a hand along her body, crusty with dried blood. The site of her was making him feral, almost animalistic. Her eyes closed, mouth open as she panted, gripping her own hair with two hands while he ran a thumb across her swollen bottom lip. She was gorgeous in her lust.

Ulfric roughly spread her legs, causing her to gasp. He saw her wetness shimmer in the firelight, and his only thought was tasting her. He faced her core and slid two hands underneath as he lifted her to his waiting mouth. 

His warm breath and smooth tongue caressed her folds as she gasped out and arched her back, clawing at the furs beneath her. “Oh…” was all she could squeak out. She reached for his hair and clutched it as he inserted fingers in her and twirled his tongue on her bud. There were no thoughts, memories, dragons—only him and that wonderful tongue of his. 

Ulfric couldn’t get enough of tasting her. He lapped up her wetness, paying attention to all her reactions to ensure she received the most pleasure from him. When she moaned or gyrated as he hit a particular spot on her bud, he focused on that area with a perfect amount of teasing, moving his fingers in and out of her. He felt her hood lift away as she pulsed and trembled into his mouth and around his fingers, back arched, yanking his hair.

“ _Geh! Nu Zu’u mindoraan_ (Yes! Now I understand)!” Alkiirvur yelled out in Anise’s voice as she exploded in her orgasm.

Anise, at that point, was too weak to even care about Alkiirvur. She was utterly lost in the fog of pleasure. Her thoughts were only about Ulfric and Ulfric alone.

“Alkiir—” Ulfric was about to scold before Anise pulled him down in a heated kiss, tasting herself on his lips.

Anise rolled Ulfric onto his back, pinned his arms down, and bent down to kiss him once more, her wetness glazing his stomach, mixed with blood. Her mind still on animal instincts as she inserted him into her, into one swift movement, head thrown back at the tight but pleasurable sensation.

“By Talos, you feel amazing,” Ulfric grunted, quickly forgetting about the dragon in her head as he hissed in pleasure, feeling her tight wetness surround him. She had a firm grasp on his wrists, not allowing him to touch her as she rolled her hips. He closed his eyes to the pleasant sensation, then felt warm breath on his face as she bent down to kiss him, tongue inserted, seeking desperately for his, but not stopping her movements.

It wasn’t nearly enough. Ulfric needed more. He needed it fast, harder. Abruptly, he sat up, grasping Anise’s back tightly with one strong arm as he flipped her over onto her back, reinserted himself, and thrust faster, faster. He looked down on Anise, and her head lolled back and forth, lips parted, moaning. With one hand, he pushed back her leg to reach her deep inside as he rolled his hips back and forth, watching her.

The speed picked up, and with one hard thrust, she groaned loudly as he exploded in her. He was stiff for a moment before he resumed his movements, hard push after hard push until he was spent, grunting with each movement forward.

With a shaky body, he fell to the side of Anise, as they both laid there catching their breaths, waiting for their minds to clear, bodies tangled.

“ _B’vehk_... I want to do that again,” she moaned.

“Now?” Ulfric asked with incredulousness, voice hoarse, still in a weakened state. 

She laughed breathlessly. “No, not now. I can barely move now.” Despite being unable to move, she rolled on her side, facing him as she planted delicate kisses on his face.

“Ann?”

“Hmm?”

“We need to talk about Alkiirvur.”

“That perverted dragon.”

“I know, but—”

“Look, I have thought about it, and the fact is, he is as much a part of me as I am of him. We may have to get used to the fact that he’s always lingering. I’m done worrying about it.”

Ulfric wasn’t too sure he wanted the dragon watching them all the time, but perhaps she was right. Alkiirvur was just as much a part of her, and maybe he should just get used to that fact. If he wanted her in his life, that meant Alkiirvur was also a part of his life.

“Mating fun. Now I understand why _joore_ like.”

“You’re not helping, _Al!_ “ Anise chided the dragon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: Happy futures and meddlesome thieves.
> 
> I hope you check out my latest story of Kaidan and the Thalmor. A little tense in the beginning, but injected quite a bit of humor into it, at least I tried to :).  
> [Breaking Orenwen](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23832874)


	28. Proposals and Thieves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ulfric and Anise finally find their happiness, but a particular pain in the ass thief sure can put a damper on things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some very light sexual content.
> 
> Thank you for reading and commenting! <3

“ _You’ve had your fun, Alkiirvur. I understand what I said about you being a part of me, but it’s time you left us alone... please_ ,” Anise practically begged the dragon in her head.

“ _I will do as you ask_ ,” the dragon replied as he slinked away inside her mind.

“We are alone now, Ulfric. It can be uncomfortable, but I guess this is something we will have to get used to. He’s always going to be there, I assume. At least until I die. Perhaps when I defeat Alduin... if he’s defeated.”

“I understand, but privacy once in a while is nice. And I have faith you will defeat Alduin,” he said, sensing her worry. 

Ulfric brought her to the washroom so they could wash away the filth, blood, and sex off of them. It was large enough for both of them, so he eased into the hot water, holding her hand as she climbed in after him. 

The servants had towels, nightclothes, and soap ready for them both. 

Ulfric took a washcloth, slathered it with soap, and proceeded washed away the grime from Anise’s body, starting with her face. “I cannot tell you how many times I have been with you like this in my head, Ann. How many times have I made love to you already? Then to have you in reality... it doesn’t compare.”

His confession touched Anise as she traced delicate fingers along his face, pressing her lips to his for a moment. “I too have thought of you like this, many times, especially on those really lonely nights,” she smirked, waggling her eyebrows.

“I feel honored now that I was a part of your pleasuring fantasies,” he said, smiling as he nibbled and growled in her neck, making her giggle.

“I never dreamed I would be here with you like this,” she said, growing more serious.

It pleased Ulfric to hear she had the same thoughts as he and realized they were meant to be. He remembered Angier’s words about fate. _Anise and I would never have been, had we not been stuck together for days in that ruin. Or maybe that was meant as well. Being in Helgen that day could have been more than a coincidence. I guess it doesn’t matter as long as she is with me._

Once they were clean, they dried off and put on their nightclothes. Ulfric held her hand and led her back to the dining room to finish eating their meal, which the servants were kind enough to reheat for them. This time it wasn’t formal as Anise curled her legs up in the chair, her shift rising above her knees, and Ulfric sat close, facing her.

Anise and Ulfric talked little as they ate, but it wasn’t awkward or uncomfortable. They smiled at each other, stuffing their faces with venison. Ulfric would periodically place a grape in her mouth, or they would run hands on the areas of skin that were bare, unable to keep their hands off of each other.

When they finished eating, the servants cleared away dishes and brought out the dessert.

“I had a surprise for you, and the dragon ruined it all,” Ulfric complained as the servants laid out the snowberry crostata, her favorite, though this one had a side of some white substance. Anise had no idea what it was.

“Go on... try it. I think you will enjoy it, especially together with the warm dessert.”

Anise took a tentative bite of the white substance as her eyes grew wide and a broad smile planted on her face. “What is this? Oh, it’s delicious and... cold! But with the crostata... mmm. Who told you the crostata was my favorite? Let me guess, _alma_?”

Ulfric laughed at her sheer pleasure. “One and the same.”

“And, what is this white stuff called? It’s so cold!”

“It’s called ice cream, my dear. It is a particular frozen treat that was introduced to me a few years back. I thought you might like it.”

When they finished with their dessert, Anise just leaned back in her chair, rubbing her very full tummy. “Oh, I’m stuffed! You’re going to make me fat, my lord.”

“I highly doubt that,” he chuckled, but his mood turned serious. “When are you thinking of leaving, Ann?”

“I’m aiming for tomorrow. The sooner I move on, the sooner I get all this dragon business over with, the sooner I can stay with you. Then when I get back, hopefully, my _ata_ will have returned. I need him by my side while we hunt for Alduin. Why?”

“Hang on,” he said as he got up and headed to his room. A few moments later, he returned and handed Anise a small, carved box.

“What is this? You already gave me the amulet and armor, Ulfric. I need nothing else.”

“And, you will get more, including a horse to help you get to where you are going more quickly so you can return to me sooner. Now open it, please.”

Anise gently lifted the lid off the wooden box to find a beautiful ring. It was silver inlaid with a large sapphire and two smaller ones on either side. “This is too expensive... I really can’t accept this.”

“It was my mother’s, as was the amulet.”

“Then I should definitely not take something of such value. Sentimental value is so much more.”

“Ann, I want you to have the ring because I want you to marry me. It will be your wedding ring. We just now got to be together and may seem rushed, but I will never want another woman besides you. There is no other woman I want since... well, you are the first since her. I want you to wear it, and if you agree, I hope you will have something to look forward to when you return to me. I love you, Ann.”

Anise looked down at the ring, not yet putting it on. “You aren’t worried about the people? Isn’t it too soon? I thought we were to wait until we completed negotiations.”

“After tonight, I assure you, they will accept you. You saved the people, Ann. Will you marry me?”

Anise’s eyes welled up in tears, but they weren’t of despair or unhappiness, filled with doubt. They were tears of happiness. “I will. I love you too.”

“You love me too?” he asked, slightly surprised by her confession.

“I do, yes. I fought it, but it is how I feel.”

He pulled her into an embrace and then kissed her lips. “You have made me the happiest man! We will make the announcement when you get back.”

“Ulfric? Can I stay with you tonight? Or, would that be… inappropriate? I don’t know what all the protocols are.”

“It is OK if you stay with me. I would like that. Have you already forgotten our lovemaking earlier?” he teased.

“No, but that was... unexpected, heated.”

He stood up and offered her his hand. “Come... it’s late.”

They returned to his bedroom, and she noted the servants cleaned it up, and they drew the covers on the bed down.

Anise stood close to Ulfric, hands pressed against his chest as she looked up at him, smiling coyly, running circles in his chest hair with a finger. “So, how late is late? Late that we have to go to bed now, or the kind of late that we can be in your room to have a little more intimate fun?”

“Ready for more, are you?” It pleased Ulfric that she wanted him again.

“Well... I mean, it wouldn’t be _too_ horrible, I guess,” she teased with an exaggerated sigh. “I’d be willing to suffer it—”

Ulfric gave her a broad smile as he pulled her close to him and bent down to kiss her as she melted into him. He removed her shift over her head and removed his own nightclothes, then carried her to bed.

Their lovemaking was slower and tender, less animalistic than the last time as they learned every inch of each other. When Ulfric and Anise finished, they curled up, facing each other. Anise ran gentle fingers over his scarred back, feeling bumps and coarseness of the skin as he slept. She wondered how he could be so kind and loving after everything he went through. She watched him sleep until her own eyes grew heavy, and sleep finally reached her.

It was early morning when Ulfric woke up. The servants hadn’t yet brought breakfast and his usual missives, so he sat in the chair by the fire, watching Anise sleep. She was sleeping on top of the covers, sprawled out on her stomach. As soon as he left the bed, she reached out for him in her sleep, though there was only empty space. 

Ulfric, with a smile on his face, got up and climbed into the bed, planting kisses on her smooth, plump cheeks of her ass. Anise stirred awake to his kisses and touches, rolling over into a deep stretch as he rubbed a hand over her breasts.

“Mmm, more already?” she asked with sleepy eyes and a tired smile.

“I’m afraid not. I have to eat and get ready for some work, but I just couldn’t help but touch you as you slept.”

Anise rolled over, facing him, and kissed him on the nose. “Don’t let me keep you... or perhaps I should,” she teased. She was about to pull him into a kiss when someone knocked on the door. 

“Sorry, sweetheart... duty calls,” Ulfric said, giving her a peck on the cheek and a pat on her tush, then threw covers on her. He pulled away with reluctance and sat down to eat and read his morning missives.

The servant came in and placed breakfast and tea on the small table. There was enough food for both of them, and Anise soon realized the entire palace now knew about them. 

Anise threw on her shift, sat down facing Ulfric, and with one foot propped on the chair, she dug in for breakfast.

“ _Can I come out now?”_ Alkiirvur asked quietly in Anise’s head.

“ _Oops, sorry, big guy. You may. It will please you that we are going to Riften and getting this guy Esbern who will hopefully help us find a way to defeat Alduin._ “

“ _Yes, we need to get going, and I need practice more with your movements._ ”

“ _We can do that as we camp on the way. It should take us about two days to get there_.”

Ulfric peeked over a parchment he was reading to see Anise’s eyebrows move up and down, twitching. He wasn’t sure what she was doing but realized she was probably talking to Alkiirvur in her head. “Morning, Alkiirvur.”

“Morning, _mal joor_.”

Anise ran a hand along the coarse black mane of the horse. It had been a long time since she rode one, hoping she could remember how. Teldryn taught her a while back, but she hadn’t much practice since. _Though it is nice to get where I am going faster._

“She’s beautiful, my lord! Thank you!”

“You are welcome. What are you going to name her?”

“I can name her too?”

“Of course, she’s yours.”

“I think I will simply call her _Baan_ , which means black in Dunmeri.” 

“It’s as fine a name as any.”

“I will miss you,” she said to him quietly so no one in the stables could hear.

“I will miss you as well, Ann. I love you and be safe.”

“I love you too. I will send you regular updates as often as I can.”

They already said their goodbyes in private, so there was no hugging or kissing. They were not ready to let the world know about their engagement. Ulfric helped her onto Baan and watched Anise awkwardly trot off south to Riften.

Anise had never been to the Rift. She had no idea how beautiful it was with forests full of birch trees bursting forth with gold and orange leaves. It was quiet, and all she could hear was the wind blowing through the trees and Baan clopping on the road. The day was bright, making the leaves almost shimmer in the breeze as they sprinkled down around her. She was in love with the place.

After two days on horseback, she reached Riften, the principal city in the Hold. It was renowned for its crime and the Thieves Guild, according to Ulfric. It was Maven Black-Briar, owner of Black-Briar Meadery, who ran things rather than Jarl Laila Law-Giver. Since Anise understood little about it, he wanted her to be prepared before she headed that way.

Delphine informed Anise that she had to find a Nord named Brynjolf, who should know the whereabouts of Esbern. 

Anise rode up to the stables to have Baan cared for while she was in the city. She kissed her new horse on the nose and a pet on the neck, then headed to the city gates, trying to get in before the guards stopped her. Extortion was their game.

“I never heard of a tax to get into a city,” she protested, calling their bluff. “I think you are trying to steal my hard-earned coin.”

“Alright, alright... keep it down. You can go in.”

Riften was crammed tight, full of homes and businesses, not as spread out as Whiterun was, but more inviting than Windhelm. The city sat on a canal and surrounded by a large lake. The stench, though, didn’t smell much different from the Gray Quarter with rot, old fish, sewage. It was worse there as the stench traveled through the entire city, though the people didn’t seem to mind. Perhaps they were desensitized to it.

Anise headed straight to the Bee and Barb to rent a room for the night and then headed back out to see if she could find this Brynjolf character, though she had no idea what he looked like. 

The market was full of people from virtually everywhere. It was so strange to her to see the mix of Argonians, Dunmer, Bosmer, Nords, Imperials, Bretons. All but Khajiits, who were not welcome anywhere, and Orcs who primarily kept to themselves. It was so different from Windhelm, where each race had its own sections of the city. Despite all the crime that was apparent in Riften, it was welcoming to see, feeling like she fit in.

There was one stall where another female Dunmer was selling food items, and Anise bought a sweet roll from her. She took large bites of the gooey goodness as she walked around, trying to get the lay of the land. Anise was fairly intuitive, perhaps she got that from her _ata_ , but Teldryn taught her how to use her keen eyes to take in her surroundings.

Brynolf had never seen the Dunmer woman before. He was quick in figuring out the people who came to Riften. He could quickly assess the type of person they were with barely a glance, but she confused him. She was wearing expensive armor, yet had the air of someone who lived in poverty. The woman didn’t look like she stole it, but she didn’t look like she could have afforded it either. She also appeared different from other Dunmer with her shorter hair and rounder features. The woman wasn’t the prettiest, but attractive, and there was something about her that interested him. It could be the armor on her that was killing him. It looked stunning on her.

Despite being unable to figure her out, which intrigued him, he gave her the usual spiel he gave all newcomers when he tried to talk them into his latest schemes, always recruiting.

“Never done an honest day’s work in your life for all that coin you’re carrying, eh, lass?”

Anise was so busy devouring her sweet roll and taking in the sites; she didn’t notice the attractive redhead with piercing green eyes staring at her with the honeyed voice. _You’re supposed to be paying attention, not stuffing your face in treats,_ hearing Teldryn drawl in her head. 

She wanted to answer, but her mouth was full of sweet goodness, having crammed too much in her mouth. She covered her chewing mouth with her sticky hand so the man couldn’t see the food as she tried to speak. “Wafu meen homeft verk?”

He looked at her with amusement, watching her trying to swallow the sweet roll bite too large for her mouth. “I will wait until you finish, lass. Clearly, you are unable to talk at the moment.”

“Hfrmph... I... falk!” Anise swallowed the last bite as it went down hard and then licked her fingers clean from the stickiness. “OK, that’s better. Now, what were you saying? Are you saying I don’t earn my coin honestly? How could you possibly figure out anything about me? I have never been here before.”

“It’s all about sizing up your mark, lass. The way they walk, what they’re wearing. It’s a dead giveaway.”

“And, you’re saying my expensive armor is telling you I’m a criminal? You’re barking up the wrong tree, thief. I earn my own money, thank you very much, and the armor was a gift. You might want to work on your… ’sizing.’

Brynjolf chuckled, though it surprised him she figured him out so fast. “You know I’m a thief?”

“Isn’t everyone in this place?”

“Not everyone… Fine, you got me. If you aren’t here for the spoils, then why are you here?” Brynjolf didn’t mean to sound so agitated, but it was rare he was wrong and called out on it.

Anise was going to tell him to mind his own business none too kindly in Dunmeri, but maybe he had an idea of where to find this Brynjolf. “I’m actually looking for someone. His name is Brynjolf. Perhaps you can tell me where he is?”

Brynjolf smirked, hearing his name, looking at her up and down, and wondered why she would look for him. “You a merc or something?”

“That and... something, but that is not why I’m looking for him.”

“ _Fun rok kos hahlot ful mu siiv fin joor uv ofan mu aak_ (tell him to be silent so we can find the mortal or give us help)!” Alkiirvur unintentionally blurted out in dragon, getting irritated with this man. 

Anise wide-eyed slapped a hand to mouth in reaction instead of working with it. “ _Alkiirvur! Control yourself!_ “

“ _Sorry, he looks at you with... as your Ulfric does. I dislike this_ joor _!_ “

“ _He does? B’vehk!_ “

“ _Yes, he looks at you with... want_.”

“What was that, lass? That wasn’t Dunmeri as I am familiar with your language.”

_Of course, he is._ “Uhm, well…” _May as well be honest, who cares, right? Well, he doesn’t need to know about Alkiirvur._ “I know a bit of dragon language, and once in a while, when I get... irritated, I blurt it out.”

Brynolf knew she was lying about her blurting it out, and even though it appeared she did just that, he couldn’t figure out why she would lie about it. Deciding to let it go, he figured it was time to understand the reason she was there. “What do you want from Brynjolf, lass?”

“It’s not really Brynjolf per se I’m looking for. The man just may know how to locate someone I need to find. I’m looking for this old guy hiding out in Riften.”

“I see. Well, I am the man you are looking for,” Brynjolf said proudly as if he was in one of those ‘ah-ha!’ moments.

“I thought you would be older,” Anise said blandly, scrutinizing the man.

Brynjolf’s smirk turned to a frown, inching closer to her. “Well, I do age quite well.”

Anise rolled her eyes. “You know what I meant.”

“You’re right, I did. I am Brynjolf, lass.”

“You know, you could have said that right at the start and saved us both a lot of time,” she said irritably. “I just need some information on an older man hiding here. It is imperative I do so.”

“See, the thing is I don’t give out free information, lass. Help me deal with business first, then we’ll see how I can help you with yours. Besides, I’m sure you could use more coin, am I right?”

“You are wrong. Look, I don’t need any coin. I just need to find this guy. It’s important.”

“And I’m busy. You help me out, and I’ll help you out. That’s just how it is. “Fine! Tell me what I have to do then.” _I don’t know who to be more furious with, this man or Delphine, for putting me in another irritating situation._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: Brynolf has a thing or two to learn about Anise, who is in a rush to return to her betrothed.


	29. Difficult Men

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anise gets a taste of what it's like to lockpick and she doesn't like it one bit, it doesn't help that Brynjolf is a womanizer and she's about to kill the man, but first...Esbern.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and commenting! It means so much!! <3
> 
> Hope everyone is safe and well.

_Why in all of Nirn would Brynjolf think I can pick a_ n’chow _lock?_ Anise groaned in frustration. Brynjolf was probably wondering what was taking her as he struggled to come up with a longer distraction, repeating himself. 

It was a good thing Brynjolf gave her several lock picks, otherwise, she might have failed, and he wouldn’t give her information, or perhaps ask her to do something worse like burglarizing a home.

Anise almost yelled out in triumph when she finally managed to open the locked box. _Hard to believe it only took eleven tries_ , the sarcasm oozing from her brain _. I’m sure if I were a criminal, this would have gone more smoothly._

_Now sneaking I can do_. She crouched over to the male Dunmer sitting on a box of crates too busy heckling Brynjolf to take notice of her.

She tried to ask Brynjolf why she needed to plant a ring on the Dunmer and set this guy up, but he was not forthcoming on the details. If she wanted information from him, she was to do the job, no questions asked.

Anise, ring in hand, slowly reached for the man’s pocket to drop it in. She must have tugged on it too hard as he turned around to see if someone was pick-pocketing him. “Who’s that?!” he yelled out.

She dropped the ring in his pocket and ducked behind another market stall, holding her breath and praying to Azura the man didn’t catch her. _Nothing to see here. Nope. No one set you up so you can go to jail for no apparent reason. Sorry, buddy. I need essential information._ Anise wondered if she should report it to the Jarl of Riften later to explain that the Guild set the Dunmer up, but decided she didn’t want them as an enemy, especially Maven Black-Briar.

She crawled around on all fours to another stall as they hauled away the Dunmer. As she stood to walk off, she bumped right into Brynjolf, who saw she had completed his job. “Oops, sorry.”

He smiled down at her, hands on her waist as he caught and steadied her, but he wasn’t letting go. “I will live, lass.”

“I am stable now. You can remove your hands,” Anise demanded.

Brynjolf raised his hands in the air defensively, but a smirk still played on his lips.

_Oh, he’s one of those ‘flirts with the woman and tries to get her in bed by being condescending to her.’ What an asshole._ Anise was sure many women fell for it because he was attractive and confident, but he was not her type, even if she wasn’t already in love with someone else.

“It took you long enough. I was running out of things to say,” Brynjolf complained now that he finished flirting, his charm gone as quickly as it came.

“Look, like I said, I’m not a thief. I’m a merc. I kill the bad things in the world, not break into lockboxes. Despite growing up in poverty, I chose not to steal, so that lock-picking thing you had me doing was my first time. Regardless, I got the job done, and you better not renege because it wasn’t good enough for you,” Anise lectured the man, wanting to move on with her mission.

“You’re right, lass. You did the job, and it worked. We could use people like you,” he said, being Mr. Charm again.

“I’m sorry, did you not just listen to what I was telling you?” Anise was getting frustrated with this man. He treated her like some piece of meat, he didn’t listen, now he wanted her to be a thief, not caring that she indicated she wouldn’t want to be one. 

“I heard you, but the Thieves’ Guild could use the help. We are—”

“ _B’vehk!_ Read my lips! I... do... not... care! Will you please take me to this Esbern so I can move on with my life! Please... that was the deal!”

Brynjolf gave her a curt nod. “Very well, follow me.” It felt strange to have a woman shut him down so easily. He wasn’t used to it. He rarely had to put forth so much effort, but she was not interested, which intrigued him all the more.

Once they were inside the Ratway, Anise tried not to pinch her nose from the stench, but pinch she did to the smell of sewage and mold that was overwhelming. “How long will this take?” she asked nasally.

“It’s not close. The Ratway is a labyrinth of tunnels and sewage systems. If you tried to find this man on your own, you could be lost for days. He has been hiding here, and he pays a great deal to us to keep him hidden.”

“I definitely would have died from the stench alone,” she muttered under her breath. _So, he pays you to keep him hidden, but a minor job from me and you let his secret be known?_ Anise didn’t ask out loud, not wanting Brynjolf to change his mind.

Brynjolf escorted her through the Ratway to an underground tavern, the Ragged Flagon where the stench finally gave way to rushing waters, cleaning the air. Anise breathed in the fresher air as if she had never smelled something so divine. “Oh, that is so much better. I’m curious, though, aren’t you worried about me knowing where you all are located?”

“No, it is not a secret, lass. Most people aren’t stupid enough to come down here and mess with us. The guards are nicely paid off, so they do not raid us.”

“Fair enough.”

He led her through the Cistern and out another door to more mazes in the sewage system. “It shouldn’t be too much further,” he explained.

The lower they went, the more curious Anise got, wondering why such a man would bury himself so deeply in a sewage system to hide. _Hide from what? The Thalmor? Delphine said as much. That the Blades were hunted down, and she was one of the few remaining in hiding._

They walked by several cells, and Anise could hear the crazy ramblings of an old woman. As she passed another cell, a strange man in a chef’s hat peered at her as if he wanted her for his next meal. _Nothing like a tasty Anise stew to soothe the soul._

She eyed him warily when she passed, but secure knowing that he was locked up. He suddenly rattled the bars and lunged at her, reaching through the bars with a meat cleaver. Anise screamed and jumped away, crashing into Brynjolf, knocking them both to the ground with her on top of him. 

As they struggled to get up, the ‘chef’ opened his unlocked cell door and came after them, meat cleaver raised. Brynjolf quickly pulled out one of his daggers and threw it at the deranged man’s head, killing him instantly as he crumpled to the ground. 

“ _N’chow!_ “ she yelled out as the terror inside her subsided.

Brynolf, of course, took the opportunity to rub his hands nonchalantly over her ass as if it was the most natural thing to do. He was smirking at her when she scowled and pushed off of him, punching him in the chest as she got up. “Hands off, asshole!”

“Ow, okay... okay, lass. I’m off!” he said, laughing and rubbing his chest.

Anise was furious, even more so when he laughed at her. “I get it! You have no respect for women. It’s not the first time I have come across men like you. Let’s get something clear, shall we?” She got into his smirking face, jabbing a finger in his chest. “I am the Last Dragonborn, believe it or not, and I’m here to stop the dragon menace. Esbern is going to help me do just that. I am also betrothed to a Jarl, whom I love, so that means I am off-limits. Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?”

Brynjolf’s smirking turned into a look of skepticism. “The Dragonborn? You can barely walk two steps without tripping. And you, to wed a Jarl? I find that hard to believe because—”

“Don’t you say it! I know! I’m a Dunmer. Shocking that I understand so much about myself and the color of my skin that I need you to clarify things for me! It’s love, something which you apparently know nothing about. As for the Dragonborn business, I didn’t choose it. It chose me. I had no say in the matter.”

“You’re a fool if you believe it’s about love, lass. It’s always politics with Jarls.”

Anise would not let this _s’wit_ put doubts in her head. “I don’t care what you believe. The fact remains is that I’m hands-off, and if you touch me one more time, I’m going to break all your fingers. Do not think that I am unable, because I can.”

“ _Let’s show him what you can do, Alkiirvur, if he touches me one more time."_

“ _With pleasure_.” Alkiirvur shouted out his ice form shout on the dead ‘chef’ as ice formed around his body.

“That is what will happen to you if you touch me again,” Anise informed him. She was so angry at this lech thought he could treat her any way he wanted.

If Brynjolf didn’t believe she was the Dragonborn before, he did then. “Okay... hands off. Got it.”

Anise wanted nothing more than to throttle the redhead, but she had more pressing matters. 

When they finally reached Esbern’s cell, Anise knocked. “Hello? Esbern?”

“Go away,” came the muffled and elderly voice from the other side of the door.

“Can’t do that. We need to go and meet Delphine. She has asked for your help and sent me to get you.”

“So Delphine keeps up the fight, after all these years. You’d better come in and tell me how you found me and what you want.”

Brynjolf and Anise must have sat there for a good ten minutes waiting for the man to open his door, he had so many locks. _I thought Delphine was paranoid._

As soon as he opened the door, they entered the small cell that looked strangely cozy despite being in a sewer. He crammed it with books and candles, a plush chair, bed. Everything was in disarray, yet Esbern knew where everything was.

“I can’t believe Delphine keeps up the fight. It’s hopeless, yet she persists.”

“What do you mean hopeless?”

Esbern was an elderly man, balding, who had a tendency to babble as he shuffled around his little room looking for something. “Alduin is here, and he marks the end of days. No one can stop him except the Dragonborn, and one hasn’t been seen for centuries.”

“Well, you’re in luck... I’m Dragonborn.”

Esbern looked at the Dunmer girl up and down. “You don’t look like much.”

“Thanks... I guess everyone underestimating me, plays in my favor. It helps that I have a dragon soul in my head who guides me.”

“Preposterous. Dragonborn have dragon souls, but they do not talk to them.”

“I do and can. I believe I would understand more about that than you.”

“I’m a former Blade who has vast knowledge on the Dragonborn,” Esbern countered.

“She has already proven to me with some sort of ice shout,” Brynjolf spoke up, strangely coming to her defense, making Anise wonder what he was up to as her eyes narrowed at the man.

“She has? Can we talk to your Dragon?”

Anise was tired of having to prove herself all the time. She was aware people struggled to see her as some savior, and even she had a hard time with it, but she had no reason to lie. “Fine, though it would be nice to be believed once in a while. I know I’m not an exciting warrior, but I can hold my own. Alkiirvur, would you mind talking to these non-believers?”

“I am here, _dur gein_. Need me to freeze old man?”

Anise snorted a laugh. “Nothing so dramatic. Just talk to him.”

“I hear you talking, but that proves nothing. You are just talking to yourself,” Esben said, still not believing her.

“By Azura, you are more infuriating than Delphine. Fine... Alkiirvur, speak to him in your own tongue... in Dragon.”

“ _Zu’u los Alkiirvur aah dovah sil. Dovahkiin los dii ofan nol Akatosh fah viik Alduin fin laat tiid_ (I am Alkiirvur, a dragon soul. Dragonborn was my gift from Akatosh for defeating Alduin the last time).”

“Very interesting! Yes, yes... that is fluent Dragon. There would be no way you could know that much!”

Anise didn’t know whether to be happy he believed or insulted. “Yes, I’m so happy you are now a believer,” she exclaimed flatly. “Can we go now before the Thalmor show up here to take you away?”

“The Thalmor?! Why didn’t you say so!”

“Yes, lass, why didn’t you say so?” Brynjolf said, suddenly on high alert. “I may have sped things up had I known.”

“Or you could have been less of an ass in the first place, _lad_. Yes, we need to get going.”

Esbern scrambled around, packing up some essentials before they headed out. As soon as they left the cell, they heard someone yell out and blast a fireball at them, which hit Brynjolf squarely in the chest, knocking him back against the wall, burning his flesh, but still alive.

Anise ran to the man and quickly used a healing spell on him while Esbern fired off his ice spells at the High Elf.

Brynjolf looked at Anise in appreciation and started feeling guilty for how he had treated her, knowing he would have died had she chosen not to save him. “Thank you,” he muttered.

“It’s fine... let’s go.”

The three were waylaid several times with the Thalmor before finally reaching the Cistern where a battle was ensuing. The thieves were struggling to fight against the more powerful Thalmor. They turned the tides when Anise showed up with her Dragon as they used shouts and spells to kill them, catching the Thalmor off-guard.

Once the Thalmor were either dead or ran off in retreat, Anise took the time to heal those who were injured. Fortunately, no one was killed. The Thieves Guild did an excellent job training their people to survive, they had to.

Anise grabbed Esbern by the arm and gently dragged him out of there, back out to Riften before Brynjolf stopped her. “Wait, lass. Thank you for what you have done for us. You didn’t have to... I’m not sure I would have had you treated me as I treated you. I am sorry for that.”

“I can’t say I’m happy about it, but at least you apologized. Just... stop treating women like meat is all I ask.” Anise didn’t wait for a response before guiding Esbern out of the Ratway into the fresh air. Well, more refreshing than the Ratway.

It took three days on horseback to get Esbern back to Delphine in Riverwood. Anise was glad to be almost rid of the old man, who incessantly talked the entire way. He was quite knowledgeable about Alduin and dragons, but Anise needed some silence. But silence had to wait as Delphine and Esbern talked about their plan. “It’s imperative we find Alduin’s Wall.”

Esbern talked a lot the past few days, but he did not once make any mention of Aludin’s Wall. “What’s Alduin’s Wall?”

“The ancient Akaviri Dragonguard, the forerunners of the Blades, created Alduin’s Wall. One of the lost secrets of the Blades. Where they recorded all, they knew of Alduin and his return. Part history, part prophecy. Its location was lost for centuries, but I know where it is: Sky Haven Temple, an ancient Blades sanctuary, hidden within the crags of the Reach.”

“The Reach? The place filled with Forsworn? That Reach?”

“Indeed,” he replied. “Karthspire in particular. I do not know what we will find there once we reach it. We will just find out when we get there.”

“I know the area of the Reach that Esbern’s talking about. It’s near what’s now known as Karthspire, in the Karth River canyon. We can meet you there, or all travel together, your call,” Delphine informed them.

Anise was tired of being forced back into more missions with these two, but if Alduin’s Wall had anything she could use on the Dragon, she would take it, but she was due back in Windhelm. She had done her best to send letters to Ulfric to let him know what was going on and her whereabouts, but she promised she would return to him after dropping off Esbern, and vowed to come back for their wedding. _I still haven’t even returned the damned Horn yet_! 

“I can’t. At least not right now. I have a wedding to attend.”

Delphine looked at Anise as if the girl lost her mind. “I’m sorry, did you just say you have to go to a wedding... over stopping the end of the world?”

“I did... it’s my wedding.” She didn’t want to argue about it anymore, having done so several times with Alkiirvur on the trip to Riverwood.

“You cannot wait?”

“No, I cannot. Look, I’ve already argued about this over and over with my Dragon. The fact remains, I may not return. This may kill me, or I may fail... or both. I would like to have a moment of happiness before that happens. What’s the point in trying to save a world if there isn’t some sort of love or happiness at the end of it? And I deserve it, dammit! Not just that, but this marriage could help end the Civil War, which is also very important.”

“There is no way I can talk you out of this?” Delphine asked with surprising calmness.

“Nope. I’m gone. When I’m done, I will send word to you when I’m ready to meet in Karthspire. I won’t be gone long.”

“Very well, then. I wish you at least a moment of happiness.”

“Thank you,” Anise said, surprised the woman even bothered.

_My love,_

_I have reached Riverwood, and I should be leaving in a day or two on my way back to you, as promised. The information I found out may prove useful against the Dragon, so when we are done with our blessings and... other ungodly things, I will need to leave once more for The Reach._

_I love you,_

_Ann_

_P.S. The Graybeards are going to kill me as I still haven’t returned their damned Horn._

Ulfric folded up her letter and put it in the drawer where he kept all the others from her. He laughed at her mention of ‘ungodly’ things, looking forward to them. He was excited for her return finally, that she was safe, and put the wedding preparations into action with the help of Jorleif. It had to all be ready for her when she returned. 

He and Anise would have to have an announcement party, give a speech to the people, then they could go forth with the wedding. Ulfric told her the people would accept her after the Dragon, but he knew there would be many who would resist as well, so he had to double the guard, just in case.

There was also the matter of the negotiations, which had more good news. General Tullius of the Imperials agreed to have talks about bringing the war to a close, at least hear what Ulfric had to say. He also agreed with High Hrothgar as a good place as any, as long as the Graybeards accepted. _It’s a start_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: Celebrations


	30. The Grand Wedding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ulfric and Anise tie the knot, lock the ball and chain, take an arrow to the knee, plight their troths, get hitched...you know, get married.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW content.

“My Jarl, these bandits have become an increasing menace near Kynesgrove. Is there any way we can get some help with extra guards patrolling the area?”

Ulfric watched the woman who entered his throne room. Even though she was covered in a cloak and hood, her mannerisms and the way she walked told him exactly who she was. A small smile played his lips as he felt a rush of pleasure at seeing her home safe. 

“My lord... please…”

“I’m sorry… Yes, I will have four additional guards rotating through your town. Will that be acceptable?”

“Yes. Thank you, my lord.”

As the farmer walked off, Ulfric ignored the rest of the people waiting to speak to him and stood to approach the woman. His small smile stretched to broad as she neared. He lifted her up into his arms and embraced her as she wrapped arms around his neck, legs dangling. “My love,” he whispered in her ear.

Everyone in the throne room watched this unusual exchange from Jarl Ulfric, who wasn’t known to show any sort of emotion, happiness, or tenderness towards another person—known to be stoic and reticent. The curious interest went to shocked gasps as her hood fell back, revealing a Dunmer woman. 

Once Ulfric put Anise down, he grabbed her hand and pulled her to the table full of nobles who were allowed to return. “Jorleif, please excuse our citizens for a bit. They can return in thirty minutes.”

As the regular citizens filled out of the throne room, Ulfric addressed all the nobles. Every seat taken was full of parents and children, always trying to impress the older Jarl for either marriage or positions in court.

“I hear your gasps and surprise. I’m not deaf. As I told you before, this woman is the Dragonborn. She recently saved this city, thereby saving you and your lives, as well as your businesses and wealth. She is worthy of your respect. Her name is Anise Sero, and she is to be my wife. This is not a political tool. I’m not making some sort of deal with her people. She is by my side because I love her, and we are to be wed.”

Anise stood next to the Ulfric as she squirmed uncomfortably under the stares of the nobles, some outright with hostility, especially the young courtiers. Despite her discomfort, Anise’s heart swelled at Ulfric’s words of love for her in front of these people.

“I know many of you have tried to get me to wed your daughters, but I choose my own path. I look for love, not a forced marriage that makes two people miserable. None of your daughters want me anyway, and they would be unhappy in a marriage with me. I’m sorry. If you wish to return tomorrow tonight, there will be an official announcement party, and you are welcome to attend.”

Anise watched the same girls who were hostile towards her suddenly have a look of relief, realizing that they would not be stuck with an older and scarred man. She realized the extent and pressure to marry someone of noble birth, someone who would love him, scars, and all. She wished the people could see what she saw in him.

Ulfric turned to Anise and hugged her once more, giving her a tender kiss on her cheek. “Go get cleaned up... you stink like horse droppings,” he whispered teasingly. “Then come back down so we can discuss the celebration plans.”

Anise snorted a laugh at his description of her odor, knowing he was probably not wrong. “What’s wrong with smelling like horse droppings exactly?” she teased.

“Oh nothing, if you’re into that sort of thing,” he retorted.

“Well, clearly you are not, so I shall go bathe, my overly sensitive nosed lord,” she curtsied then walked away, looking back with a smirk on her face.

By Talos, he loved her, watching her sashay out of the room.

It was the next afternoon as Anise soaked in the warm water, letting the stink wash off along with her sore bottom from riding a horse the past two weeks. When she finished, she got out as Ingen draped her with a drying cloth and led her to a table to do her hair and help get her dressed.

“You know, Ingen, I can do these things myself. You don’t have to trouble yourself, though I have to admit, you are much better at doing my hair than I am.”

“It is my pleasure, my lady. I do not mind.”

“It’s Anise,” she corrected.

“Once you are wed, I do not think the Jarl would appreciate me calling you by your first name.”

“The Jarl won’t have a say in the matter. I love him, but I think I would prefer to be called by my name. I’m not a lady. But if it makes you uncomfortable, then at least in private.”

“Yes, ma’am... I mean, Anise. I am so excited about your wedding and I have plans for your hair. The Jarl ordered the most beautiful dress! You will look like a princess!”

“Oh…” was all Anise could squeak out. She just assumed the wedding would be a small affair, but she was stupid to believe such things. He was the Jarl of Windhelm. He would want a grand ceremony for the people. 

“What is wrong, Anise? You look pale.”

“Oh, I am excited to marry the Jarl. I just realized that this wedding is probably going to be big, and I’m suddenly very nervous about it. I’m not used to so much ‘courtly’ attention.”

“I am sure my lord will make you comfortable. He loves you. Oh, and you should see your wedding dress! I am so excited I was allowed to choose your dress for your big day!”

“Well, if this is what he wants, I suppose I can do my best to enjoy it. I’m just not used to being the center of attention. But I am glad you will be there to help me, Ingen.”

There was another thing she had to do before the wedding. “Ingen? Would you mind finding me some... potions? I need to give Ulfric heirs, but I cannot do so yet because I still have a duty to fight dragons and stop Alduin. I can’t do that while pregnant. If you could find me some to stop that from happening, I would appreciate it.”

“Oh, I am sure if my lord finds out, he will be most displeased!”

“I will let him know. This isn’t a secret. My lord will understand.” 

“Of course, Anise.”

Once Ingen had Anise dressed and styled, Anise headed back to the throne room to talk with Ulfric about their wedding plans. 

The throne room was cleared of all people except staff when she walked in. Ulfric was talking to Jorleif when he saw Anise enter, and she took his breath away. It wasn’t often he got to see her in a dress, and the particular one chosen for her was red that matched her eyes and a tight corset that pronounced her bust and curves. Her hair had grown out a bit, so the servant could put her hair up, leaving long bangs in waves curving around her face.

Ulfric walked up to her, hands grasping her shoulders. “You look beautiful, Ann.”

Anise could feel the heat creep up her face. She wasn’t used to people telling her such things, and it embarrassed her a little. “Thank you, my lord,” she said, suddenly feeling shy.

He led her to the now empty table, free of nobles, and they both sat down. Ulfric held her hand on the table. His excitement of their union was clear on his face. “You look nervous, Ann,” he said as he brushed delicate fingers on her face, seeing that she didn’t look as excited as he felt.

“I am very nervous. Aren’t you?”

He laughed lightly under his breath. “No, I’ve never been more certain of anything.”

“I’m not nervous because I’m uncertain. It’s just... I thought it would be a small thing, like at the Temple of Mara. It’s stupid, I know. It’s just I will feel strange to be the center of attention in front of so many people.”

“That’s understandable. I am used to it, so it doesn’t bother me, but I can see how it would affect you. I wish I could give you something more private, but as the Jarl, I have to give the people something more. Everyone is invited, and it is a good way to bring all people together for some happiness.”

“I understand, I’m just nervous is all. I... I hope they don’t hate me too much.”

“I will not lie to you. There will be people who will. But some hate me too, so you aren’t alone. They will hate me for this as well. We cannot please everyone, but I think most will be happy, especially what you have done for this city, and not just with the dragon.”

“Thank you, Ulfric. I may hold tightly on your arm from nerves, so if you lose all sensation there, just let me know,” she joked. “There is something else you should know. I know you need heirs, and I know nobles expect as much soon after marriage, but I cannot. Not until Alduin has been dealt with. I don’t want to risk losing a child while pregnant fighting battles.”

“I figured as much, Ann. Don’t you worry about it. We will have plenty of time when you come back to me.” _If she comes back_ , he worried, but he didn’t want to think about that. “So tonight is the announcement dinner, and tomorrow afternoon is the ceremony at the Temple of Talos.”

“Don’t take my nervousness for not being happy and excited. I am, and I look forward to being by your side as long as we live. I love you.”

“I love you too, Ann. So very much.”

Anise was uncomfortable greeting and shaking hands with those who had always looked down on people like her. It was strange to see them with smiles, telling her how pleased they were to meet her, congratulating her on her engagement. She knew it was mostly fake, but at least they weren’t hostile.

Ulfric knew enough about Anise to know she was uncomfortable, so he would put an arm around her waist, or pull her in close to him periodically to show he was there for her. Then he would give her a peck on the cheek here and there, not afraid to show people his affection for her.

Everything changed that evening when she saw her parents walk in with Sofie, looking as nervous as she felt. They were dressed up and looked like they fit in perfectly, were it not for their skin in a room full of fair Nords. Anise was so happy to see Teldryn back safe and sound, and it showed on her face.

Anise couldn’t wait for them to approach, so she ran over and hugged them both at the same time, trying not to weep. “It is good to see you safe, _ata_! Is it done then?”

Teldryn embraced her tightly. “It is done, _hla miluth_.”

“Good, hand me your proof when you get the chance. Ulfric said he would write a writ to clear your name.”

“Thank you, _julikal_.”

Anise then hugged Sofie, who had become a little sister to her. “You look so pretty in your dress, Sofie! I’m happy you are here!”

“Anise, you look like a princess!” Sofie yelled out as people looked strangely in her direction at the noise. Sofie slapped a hand to her mouth. “Sorry.”

Anise just laughed. “You always say that Sofie, but thank you.”

“Oh, Anise! To finally see you getting married and to have someone you love, and that they love you warms my heart. You deserve it,” her mother exclaimed, trying not to cry. “The Jarl has also invited us to the wedding! Oh, to see you wed…” Ridena couldn’t finish as she dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief.

“Don’t you start crying. You’re going to make me cry. I don’t want to be all weepy in front of these nobles.”

“ _Ata_ , when this is done, and you are back, do you think you could join me in my fight? I don’t think I can do this alone.”

“I will be wherever you need me, _hla miluth_. When we get back... when this battle is all over, I want you to know your mother, and I will be wed too. I’m done leaving her.”

Anise did then weep, happy her parents were reunited, and would stay together. “It’s about damn time,” she quipped.

At the end of the evening, Ulfric and Anise readied for bed and stood in front of the fire. He held her close to him, her head resting on his broad chest. “I never dreamed I would ever love again, Ann. We may not even be here if it did not storm, trapping us for so long, but I am so happy it did. Thank you for being who you are and making me feel whole again.”

Anise looked up at him, holding him tightly. “And, thank you for giving me hope and showing me we aren’t so different. I will do whatever I can to keep you happy and in love. I love you so very much, Ulfric.”

Ulfric bent his head to kiss her, pulling her tightly into him. As the kiss deepened, she gently pushed him away. “Nope, let’s save that energy for tomorrow after the wedding because I don’t plan on letting you sleep the entire night. I plan on making even Dibella blush.”

He laughed. “As you command, my lady.” But he ignored her, as he pulled up her shift and slipped a hand between her legs, pleased there was nothing on underneath. 

“Ulfric…”

“Touching you wastes no energy,” he explained, turning her around, pressing her back against his chest as they stood in front of the fire. The desperation to touch her was too much, missing her the past two weeks, Ulfric didn’t even care if Alkiirvur was lingering in her mind. 

He nibbled her neck as he slid his hand back down between her legs and inserted a couple of fingers into her wetness. With wet fingers, he glided gently around her bud. He could hear her catch her breath as her head leaned back into his chest. 

Ulfric, while dipping his fingers into her wetness and sliding them through her folds, he pinched her nipple, rolling it between fingers. She gyrated her hips into his hand as she arched her back. He stopped nibbling her neck so he could watch her in her pleasure. Her mouth slightly open, lips swelling, her breathing irregular with closed eyes. It hardened him watching her, but he was saving that for tomorrow night.

He focused his attention back on her bud as she became wetter and pinched her nipple almost too hard as she groaned, but didn’t stop him. With a single finger, rubbing circles around her sensitive nerves, Ulfric watched her catch her breath and freeze for a moment before a moan escaped her lips and she pulsed on his finger. He then cupped her with his palm so he could feel her pulsing and her heat as she rode the wave and came down.

Anise could feel Alkiirvur shuttering in her mind as she felt the wave of her orgasm, making it that more intense for her. It was a strange thing having a creature in her experiencing what she did, but she was getting used to him. He was her, and she was him.

“Sorry, I couldn’t resist,” Ulfric whispered in her ear.

“Mmm, I... I guess... I... can forgive... you... this time,” she panted in her light-headedness.

They finally curled up in bed together, falling asleep with dreams of weddings.

Anise was pacing back and forth in her wedding dress, nibbling on a thumbnail, nervous. “ _I... I don’t think I can do this... all those people watching!_ “

“ _You will go. You stop fight to marry, you marry,_ “ Alkiirvur demanded, still sore about their argument when she demanded she married first before hunting Alduin.

“ _They are going to hate me!_ “ she said in her head.

“ _They hate any woman, not them_ ,” the dragon tried to explain to her.

Because she wasn’t moving from the side room to the temple, Alkiirvur, against her wishes, made her stop pacing and forced her to walk to the temple where Ulfric was waiting. He was better at walking and using her body, but for a wedding, it was quite ungraceful as she wobbled into the temple. “ _You go now!_ “

“ _Fine! Okay! Stop! I will walk the rest of the way. People are going to think I’m insane_. _You make me look like I’m riding a horse without the horse!_ “

“ _Good. He waits you get married._ “

Ulfric caught his breath when he saw Anise enter the temple in her wedding dress. It was long, white, and dragged long cloth behind her. Draped over her shoulders was a blue cloak with the head of a bear on the back and trimmed in bear fur. The amulet he gave her laid on her chest. Her adopted sister, Sofie, made a crown of blue mountain flowers that she wore atop her head. _She is so beautiful_. He wondered how he got to be so fortunate to find love again. _She looks absolutely terrified, though_.

Anise almost wept at the sight of Ulfric, looking regal in his formal armor, draped in the same cloak as she and an ornate crown on his head. He had been growing out his beard, per her request, as he looked so handsome with it.

The wedding service was a long and drawn-out affair. If Anise was just observing the wedding, it probably would have bored her, but it was hers, and she was marrying the man she loved. She didn’t care about protocol as she stood close to Ulfric, leaning into him and holding his hand, needing to feel him as she tried to ignore the magnitude of the crowd behind them.

When they said their personal vows, Ulfric pulled her in for a long and tender kiss, letting everyone who attended know how much he loved her as he wiped the happy tears from her face with his thumbs.

After the ceremony, they headed to the grand balcony of the palace to wave to the people below. Ulfric gave Anise a passionate kiss for the benefit of the people, much to their delight as they cheered and clapped.

Ulfric made sure there were tables of food outside for the more common people, so they could celebrate as well with bards and dancing. Inside the palace, there was more merriment, music, and dancing. It was a massive celebration for a historical wedding.

Those who paid close attention to the Jarl and the Dragonborn could see a hard man who had softened with love. They watched him dance with her, hold her, kiss her as she looked at him with equal amounts of passion. 

Not everyone was pleased with this marriage, and many courtiers secretly hated her, and not just because she was a Dunmer. They didn’t understand how they could work so hard their entire lives for a chance to be with the Jarl and the future King only to have him choose an outsider, a commoner. It didn’t matter that they didn’t love him. It was all about power and wealth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments are welcome.
> 
> Next: Consummation and Travels


	31. Time Remembered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ulfric and Anise consummate their marriage. Anise and Teldyrn finally set off on their journey to the Reach, but things quickly go awry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW content.

“Sheogorath take me! That was the most magnificent and most terrifying thing I have ever been through in my life,” she exclaimed, falling back into the bed, arms spread out with a broad smile painted on her face, still in her wedding dress.

“You’d rather be hunting dragons, I take it... or giant frostbite spiders?” he said as he fell next to her, teasing.

“Hmm, perhaps not the frostbite spiders.”

“Are you telling me I have to compete with dragon hunting now?”

“Well, that depends. Pleasuring me really has to compensate for that near-death excitement.”

“I didn’t realize I married such a thrill-seeking, high-maintenance woman, but I suppose I will just have to try my best,” Ulfric sighed dramatically.

“That’s what I like to hear! A man who enjoys a challenge.”

Ulfric rolled over on his side to face his new wife, laughing but grew serious looking at her. He reached, touching her face with gentle fingers. “Nothing is challenging or difficult about you,” he said in all seriousness.

Anise gave him a crooked smile. “I know. How did you get so lucky!”

“I ask myself that every day,” he chuckled as he pulled her in for a kiss. “If I recall correctly, though, you promised to make Dibella blush tonight,” Ulfric reminded her when he pulled away from their embrace.

“Did I, now? Hmm, yes, I suppose I did. Though, I may have gotten ahead of myself there. I’m not entirely sure I’m capable of such things. I mean, after all, she is a goddess, but I will endeavor to do my best.”

Anise stood to lift his dense form upright so she could remove his wedding clothes, though it proved quite complicated. “It would help if I was able to get your... ugh, clothes off. No wonder you need so many people to dress you! How am I supposed to be romantic if I can’t even unclothe my new husband?”

Ulfric and Anise worked together to undo all the straps, buckles, and ties. When they finally got Ulfric naked, she stared at him wickedly and lunged at him for an embrace and kiss as she slid a hand down between his legs. He hardened to her touch.

He pushed her away gently. “Not until we get you undressed, my dear. With spending an hour getting you undressed, we will just have to start over again.”

“Mine is not nearly as complicated,” she informed him but turned around anyway so he was able to untie the lace bindings on the bodice of her dress.

Anise was using humor to calm her nerves. She didn’t understand why she was so nervous as they had made love twice already. Perhaps it was from the long day getting married in front of so many people—a girl from the Gray Quarter now married to the great Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak. She was still trying to wrap her mind around it, amazed at how much her life had changed and for the better.

Ulfric took his time unlacing the back of her dress. He didn’t want to rush the moment with her since it was their wedding night. It was special, and he wanted to remember it for the rest of his life. Once her dress was untied, he slid her sleeves off of her shoulders as he planted soft kisses on her neck. 

Anise closed her eyes and tilted her head to the side to give him better access, letting a moan escape her lips as the top of her dress fall around her hips. The cooler air against her naked flesh produced raised bumps from the chill, but his caressing hands on her breasts warmed her.

She stepped away from him to remove her dress fully, then removed her smalls. Once she was naked, he reached for her, but she teasingly jumped back. Anise didn’t want him doing all the work like he always seemed to do. Not that she was complaining, but she wanted to give him something instead. “No, touching anything except for my hair,” she ordered.

Ulfric quirked an eyebrow but said nothing, wondering what she was up to. He wasn’t able to anyway as Anise stood on her tiptoes, reaching for his face, and pressed her lips to his. He tried to reach for her waist, but she brushed his hands away as she inserted her tongue, seeking his. She slowly pulled away, nipping his bottom lip as she did so. The simple act of him unable to touch her built up the pleasure as desire coursed through him, not realizing how difficult it was to do.

Anise kissed and nibbled his neck as her hands lightly caressed his scarred back, giving him pleasant chills down his arms. _She’s the only one who ever touches me like that, unafraid and not disgusted._ He hardened more, throbbing as her delicate fingers trailed down his muscular ass, gyrating against him to have his erection on her flesh.

He watched her trail kisses along his stomach as she slowly sunk to her knees, his hardness twitching in anticipation, knowing what she was about to do. _How long has it been since any woman has done this to me?_ It was probably in his youth... _not since her_. He understood then why he was only allowed to touch her hair, and he did so as she kissed and licked around his hip and thighs, lighting nipping the skin.

Ulfric felt her warm breath on his inner thighs as his erection pressed up against her face. He let out a moan, knowing he wouldn’t last very long once she started. His moan turned to a loud groan when Anise grasped him and ran a tongue up and down his shaft, around and down again. Then it swirled around his engorged tip. She teased him with gentle kisses along the length of him. If he worried about coming too fast, she remedied that with her teases.

His fingers tightened in her hair, but let lose a bit, afraid to hurt her when she put him in her mouth. It was warm and wet, renewing sensations long forgotten as he gently thrust into her mouth. With one hand clutching the base of his erection, Anise slid another hand between his legs, delicately touching and holding his tender balls, making the sensation that much intense for him.

“Anise... I... I don’t think…,” he panted out, warning her he wouldn’t be able to hold out, but all that did was to push her to double down as she ran her tongue on his sensitive underside reaching the tip, twirling with her tongue. His breath caught in his chest as she ran her tongue along his delicate nerves. The pressure in his balls grew as the heat built. Before he exploded, she pulled away, kissing his hardness, licking. Ulfric wasn’t sure if his groan was one of pleasure or desperation—probably both.

“Look at me, love,” Anise whispered, looking up at him, seeing his eyes closed, as she caressed him with her lips. He felt like his entire body shudder when he looked down and watched her take him deep into her mouth. _Did I just mewl? I don’t mewl?! Shor’s beard, her mouth feels so good around me._

Ulfric grasped her head tight in his large hands, moving her as he thrust into her mouth, heat building as it centered to his hardness, and suddenly everything culminated into an explosion in her mouth, his pulses sending shivers through his body. “By Ysmir! Anise!” he yelled out.

When Anise pulled away, giving him one last flick of her tongue and jolt through his body, he had to sit on the bed for a moment to keep himself from falling. Then he fell back on the bed, barely able to stay upright. 

“Was that OK, love? I’m not very good at that, but I tried,” she said shyly, and insecure about it, even though his orgasm told her otherwise. It wasn’t like she has a lot of men in her life to practice. All she understood was she wanted to taste him and did everything in her power to please him.

Ulfric barked out a laugh. “You are either a liar, or you don’t know what you’re talking about because that was... I have no words.”

Anise crawled on top of his stomach with a broad smile on her face, pleased that she could make him feel that good. “I’m glad you liked it, my lord.”

“Are you doing ‘my lords’ again... we are married,” he chided, but unable to help but sense the stirrings between his legs again hat her words. _Why does that turn me on?_

“I’m very well aware we are married... _my lord_. Maybe I just like calling you that, especially in the bedroom,” she growled into his neck.

“Oh, is that how it is?” he asked, laughing as he ran his hands up and down her waist.

“You look tired, and it’s been a long day. We can finish this later,” Anise suggested.

“Not on your life. We are far from done, _my lady_.”

Ulfric sat up and flipped her onto her back in the bed with ease as she squealed in surprise. He looked down on her nakedness, the heat spreading again, but it would take a while for him to get hard again. He wasn’t young anymore. He ran fingers in between her legs, which came away wet. “All that from me?” he asked in surprise.

“This surprises you, my lord?”

“A bit, yes. I can’t tell you how lucky I am to have found someone to love. Most nobles don’t have that luxury as we are forced into marriages for power and wealth. That I have someone to love is more than I ever dared hope.”

The emotion welled up deep inside of her to know how much he wanted and loved her was all she ever desired.

Before she said anything, Ulfric bent to leave kissed trails down her stomach and thighs while he slid a couple of fingers into her warm wetness while rubbing her bud with his thumb. He watched her bite her bottom lip and close her eyes to his touch, breathing hitched.

“I could watch you like that all day,” he whispered.

Ulfric felt a wave of warmth spread through his fingers as she heated to his words. As he moved his fingers in and out of her, he nibbled on her nipple. His tongue swirled around it, then moved on to her other breast.

He moved back down her body, nibbling her inner thighs before he ran his tongue in her folds. Ulfric removed his fingers from inside her to spread her folds away to reach deeper with his tongue as he moved back and forth from licking her to sucking her bud. The smell of her arousal had him hard again, which shocked him.

Every time Anise sensed he would focus on that one area, allowing her to finish, he would move away to suckle or lick elsewhere, leaving her hungry for more. At one point, she grasped his hair, forcing his head back to where she wanted him, but he had control, not her.

Ulfric knew she was done with his teasing and focused solely on the little bundle of nerves as he inserted fingers inside of her again. Anise placed her feet on his shoulders, spreading herself as if trying to grasp his tongue with her heat. He used his other hand to pull back the hood, and that was all it took as she clung to his hair and arched her back, moaning, calling out his name.

As she exploded in Ulfric’s mouth, she felt Alkiirvur shutter and a strange vibration in her mind. “ _Alkiirvur, did you just purr?”_ she asked in her head as she came down.

“ _Dragons do not purr. We not cats!_ ” he said, protesting a bit too much. 

“ _You definitely purred! Well, I can hardly blame you_.”

“ _I now wish dragons were able to mate and had female dragons.”_

“ _Again, I can hardly blame you._ “

Ulfric and Anise were both exhausted from the long day, and it was late. She wanted him inside of her as well, but she was unable to barely keep her eyes open as she sprawled out on her stomach. Half of her body was on top of his as he caressed her back in soft touches.

“Mmm, I want to do this every night,” she moaned. “I can’t believe I can curl up with you like this after making love for the rest of my life.”

“You’re going to kill me, love.”

“Or keep you living longer. I’m pretty sure there’s a book somewhere that says sex is good for your health.”

He laughed at her as he pulled her tightly to him. “In that case…”

“I don’t want to go!” Anise whined. She was pouting like a toddler would when they didn’t want to do something, scowling, arms crossed. “I want to stay here with you! Do I really have to be the Dragonborn? Can’t I pass this to some other gullible person?”

Ulfric could hardly blame her. He didn’t want her to leave either, but she had a duty. He didn’t lecture her or tell her as much. Anise would do what she had to, despite how unhappy she was about it. “I don’t want you to go either. Write to me every chance you get, sweetheart. Please, or else I will worry.”

“I will,” she promised as she pulled him in for a tender kiss.

When they parted, Ulfric looked at Teldryn. “Please take care of her and watch over her. I feel better knowing you are going to be by her side.”

“I will watch her like a hawk.”

Ulfric watched her ride off on Baan with Teldryn on his own horse. Though she wouldn’t be alone, he worried about her more than ever now that they were married. He had a lot more to lose than before. There was this lingering fear in the back of his mind that someone or something would take her away from him. That’s exactly what happened the last time he loved someone. He wasn’t sure he could bear it a second time.

There was too much uncertainty. Ulfric wasn’t sure if she would continue on until she defeated Alduin or if she would come back for periods of time. At least she promised to write to him, so he knew her whereabouts. His scouts around Skyrim would also keep an eye out for her.

In the meantime, Tullius and Ulfric came to a written agreement for a ceasefire. They decided to wait until the Dragonborn returned to handle the negotiations. At least it was one less thing to worry about. He didn’t want to send men to their deaths needlessly if they had to wait for peace. Ulfric already explained to his people and soldiers that he was working out a deal to bring Talos back with the Imperials, so there would be no more war until they agreed such on such treaties. The people were tired of war, but he knew that if he were unsuccessful, it would spell the end for him and possibly mean his death.

“Oh, to spend time with my _julikal_ again for more misadventures,” Teldryn drawled, the note of humor in his voice.

“I wish that was all it was,” she replied. Teldryn could tell she wasn’t her usual humorous self since they left Windhelm.

“What’s wrong, _hla miluth_? Missing him already?”

“Yes. It’s not just that, but what I have to face. I’m grateful you are with me, but now I’m going to have come face to face with this stupid destiny. It’s going to be a long trip all the way to the Reach.”

“It will be a long road. You have come far, _hla miluth_. I couldn’t be more proud of you. I am sure you will be successful and able to return to your Ulfric.”

“I hope so,” she replied wistfully. “Talk to me, _ata_. Tell me a story.”

“I’m not sure there’s a story you haven’t heard yet.” 

“Well, you haven’t told me about Sigrun. I know you defeated her, but I don’t know what happened.”

“Yes... Sigrun. Crazy, _n’wah_. I hated to kill her, honestly. I understand her grief, but she was too far gone for me to reason with her.”

There were some caves North of Solitude that you found in her journal. Apparently, it was a massive cave cluster that she used for smuggling and as a pirate hideout. Big enough to hold several ships. It was quite something to see, and they were highly organized. They had their own town, almost. It took me a good two hours of sneaking and killing other pirates before I reached her. 

“Was she their leader then?” Anise asked.

“No, I don’t think so. There were several dead pirates already by the time I got there, though a few remained that I killed. I was tired by the time I reached her. The crazy _n’wah_ knew spells too, so both of us spent an inordinate amount of time dodging each other. Though I am much older, she was still only human, and her age got the better of her as she wore out. Eventually, I cut her down with my sword.”

“I’m glad you lived through it, and the entire mess is over.” 

Teldryn looked at the back of his daughter’s head. He had regretted leaving before she was better from her illness. It wouldn’t have killed him to stick it out a bit longer, but at the time, he was impatient to be rid of Sigrun, angry she put him through that, which almost got his daughter killed. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you when you got better from your illness, _hla miluth._ I... I was angry at Sigrun, though I tried to make sure you were out of the woods first.”

“You are worried about that? I didn’t even think to be angry you weren’t there. I was happy you went off to finally put an end to that horrible woman.”

“And now I’m officially free and cleared of all fake charges thanks to Ulfric. I have to admit, I had my doubts about him. He ran Windhelm and let the Gray Quarter fall to ruin, and before that, it was his father. I thought perhaps they did it on purpose. Apparently, his father was more tolerant, but the Gray Quarter was a shithole even then. I can see how he loves you, and I’m please to see you happy.”

Anise used to think as Teldryn did and hated Ulfric for a long time because of it. Now that she knew the real man, she forgave him for his ignorance, especially since he did what he could to help her people. Anise smiled at the thought that she married the very man she used to be afraid of and loathe, a man she now loved. What a strange set of circumstances that threw them together. But she didn’t regret it for one moment.

Teldryn and Anise rode their horses for a while in silence, and as dusk approached, they decided to make camp for the night. They were still in Eastmarch Hold, and it was hard to find a suitable camping spot with the bubbling hot volcanic waters and arid landscape. Finally, finding a grassy spot, they set up their tents and made a fire.

“I’m going to go hunting, _ata_ , for dinner.”

“Oh no, you don’t. It’s getting dark. Let me do it, and you sit by the fire where it’s safe. I know you are capable, but I promised to look after you. Ulfric and your _alma_ would have to fight over who gets to kill me first if something were to happen to you.”

“You exaggerate, _ata_ ,” Anise giggled at the visual, but she was sure her _alma_ would win.

“If only…” he drawled and walked off to find them some food.

Anise made sure a spit was ready for roasting whatever Teldryn brought back, laid out their bedrolls, and sat down to relax in front of the fire. She pulled out her sketchbook and charcoal. She had been working on some drawings of her and Ulfric together. Some were proper, others not so much. When she finished, she would show them to her new husband when she returned.

Anise was so busy sketching, she didn’t hear them come up behind her. She didn’t hear them cast the paralytic spell on her as she fell face down on the ground. She didn’t hear them come up to the camp when they immobilized and bound her. 

The Thalmor used their muffle spell to stay silent as they captured the Dragonborn and new wife to Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak. Once they knew she couldn’t move or shout out, they rushed to the camp, tied her up, and gagged her so she couldn’t shout when the spell wore off.

“Yes. That’s the girl. That’s the one who embarrassed me in front of Elenwen when she infiltrated the Embassy.” He looked down at the Dunmer girl before him, knowing how young she was, even by human standards. “How does a little Dunmer girl infiltrate the most secure building in all of Skyrim? No matter. Elenwen has plans for you, and I intend to fulfill her wishes and get back into her good graces.”

Anise looked at the unusual High Elf with his beard as Altmer were usually clean-shaven. His golden skin glowed in the firelight, and his eyes twinkled in good humor, but not in the pleasant sort of way. She wanted to give him her death stare, but all she could do was instinctively blink as the fear coursed through her body. She tried to will Teldryn back in time to kill all these filthy _n’wahs_ , but she knew they were going to take her before he did. The Thalmor were waiting for her to be alone.

“ _Why can we not move?”_ Alkiirvur asked.

“ _Paralytic spell. The Thalmor have found me and... I’m afraid we are in trouble, my friend._ “

“ _What will they do?_ ”

“ _Torture? Death? Both most likely_ ,” she explained to her dragon, sounding calm, but he was a part of her, but she knew Alkiirvur sensed her fear.

“ _I will kill them!_ ”

“ _They will kill us first_.” The tears slip out of her eyes as the Altmer looked down on her with not one ounce of sympathy.

“I’m Rulindil, my dear. We are going to become grand friends!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!! <3
> 
> Next: Illusion of Reality


	32. Methodical Madness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anise finds herself in a series of situations she cannot get out of, with no weapons, and Alkiirvur is no longer in her head to help her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!

_I can’t believe it_ , Anise thought as she ran as fast as she was able. _I’m not sure how I escaped but thank Azura, I did!_ She kept running, chest hurting, and out of breath until she came to a thick copse of trees, hiding behind them. With hands on her knees, her breathing slowed, and her heart calmed.

“ _Alkiirvur, we made it! I don’t know how, but we did! Now we just need to figure out where we are_.”

Her dragon greeted her only with silence. “ _Alkiirvur? Why are you so quiet? Come on, buddy, you weren’t that afraid, were you?_ ” she teased.

She expected him to complain about being called ‘buddy,’ but he still wouldn’t talk to her. Anise reached deep inside her mind to find him, probably sulking somewhere, but there was only emptiness. She sensed nothing from him. As she reached deeper into her mind, only blackness found her. When she withdrew from her mind and her vision cleared, she discovered she wasn’t hiding behind trees, but back in Solstheim. _How did I end up here? How did I get here?_

Unable to recall that she took a boat to Solstheim, Anise looked around for her _ata_ , remembering she was with him, but she couldn’t find him anywhere. In fact, standing in the middle of Raven Rock, there was not a soul to see when usually it was bustling with Dunmer. _Where is everyone? A Storm must be coming, and they went to the Retching Netch like they typically do to drink, waiting for it to blow over._ Anise walked over to the inn only to find it locked. She pulled on the door handle once more, but it wouldn’t budge.

_I should just go home._ Anise walked to her and Teldryn’s old home, but she wasn’t able to get in there either. She dug in her pack searching for the key only to find she didn’t have a bag, nor did she have any weapons, for that matter.

“ _Alkiirvur, what is going on?”_ Again, the dragon remained silent, and she was wondering if he was in her head and soul anymore. She was suddenly very much alone and empty.

Anise stood there in the center of town, not knowing what to do or where to go. She couldn’t get into any of the buildings to seek any form of shelter, though the day looked clear. Perhaps a cave? She headed towards the shore and cliffs to the northwest. She knew there was at least one cave nearby and hoped it wasn’t full of little Rieklings since her only weapons were her hands.

As she reached the beach, she heard a familiar sound Anise knew all too well as her stomach dropped in fear. She had killed a lurker only once, and it was no easy feat. She had to shoot it with arrows from a distance so it wouldn’t hit her with its poisonous tentacles, plus she had Teldryn’s help at the time.

She looked up to see the lurker rise from the depths of the water, growling. Its massive, writhing body towered over her, larger than many homes as it shot tentacles out from its mouth. Anise dove out of the way just in time and used her fireball spell at it, but nothing happened. Distracted, she looked at her hand as if she could see the problem when the lurker knocked her back about twenty feet with its mouthy tentacles. 

Anise got the wind knocked out of her but scrambled to get up, gasping for breath before the creature reached her. Its muddy color and sharp teeth with its humanoid body made it all the more menacing. The lurker tried to claw at her, which also turned to tentacles as she rolled out of the way once more. Despite knowing she had no spells, she tried again. Still, nothing happened. _What to do? I have absolutely no way to defend myself!_

She quickly scanned the area looking for anything, any sort of weapon to use, even a rock, but there was nothing. _This makes little sense. Raven Rock usually had all kinds of debris and stones lying about, but there’s nothing._

The lurker came after her again, picking up speed as Anise kept rolling away from its tentacles, trying to formulate a plan, but she couldn’t think straight in her panic. She was getting tired, and she had nothing to use to defeat the creature. 

The lurker’s claws struck out at her once more, and before she rolled out of the way, the tentacles shot out of its mouth. It caught her off-guard as they slammed her up against the side of a building. Anise fell to the ground on her knees, coughing up blood, certain she cracked a rib or two. Anise stood up on wobbly legs, turned, and ran as fast as she could away from the creature, holding onto her ribs, unable to do anything else.

In pain, she fell to her knees, struggling to breathe, but scrambled back up and kept on running all the way out of Raven Rock, not daring to look back. _There’s an old, run-down farm near here. I can hide there._ Once she reached the farm just outside of town, she finally dared peak behind her and found that the lurker did not pursue her. _Thank Azura!_

Anise fell to the ground and crawled her way to the decrepit building, sitting down, and leaned her back against the crumbling wall. She was trying not to panic as she regained her composure and got her bearings, but it was no use. Her hands shook in fear and her eyes filled with tears. 

But she didn’t get rest for long, sensing movement in the ground. She scrambled to get up, knowing what it was— _Ash hoppers_. She jumped out of the way just in time before they attacking her. _What is going on?_ Anise yelled in her head as she backed away from the vile insects, remembering the last time they attacked her and how sick she was. She almost died.

As they surrounded her, she tried to use a shout she learned, but as she used Alkiirvur’s ice form shout, nothing happened. _No, no, no…_ The ash hoppers took advantage of her defenselessness and attacked, all of them jumping on her. Anise screamed in terror as they scratched, bit, clawed her flesh. Angry now, she used her only weapons and tore into them with bare hands, ripping off heads, pulling limbs until they all laid there dead at her feet.

Anise fell to the ground and retched from the insect gore all over her body. She was bleeding, clothes torn... _clothes? I was wearing armor before_. It confused her as she wiped away tears. She struggled to find a safe place to hide. It would be getting dark soon, and she needed a safe place to sleep. _Now with the ash hoppers dead, I can go back to the ruined farmhouse._

As she walked back towards the house, she heard it again—a lurker. _Is this the same lurker or another?_ She swallowed hard and slowly turned around to see another lurker headed towards her, spewing venomous tentacles in her direction. _No more, please_. Anise whimpered.

She danced and dodged the vile tentacles, getting exhausted, her movements slowing. She tried to run away again, with no other options before it grabbed her by the ankle. Anise face-planted in the ash and sand, feeling her nose break as it hit the ground, causing her to blackout for a moment. The creature pulled her close to it, leaving a thin trail of blood from her nose. She struggled, pulled, clawed at the dirt to get away, but it was too strong. 

“No, no, no…”

Once Anise got close to it, it let her go as she stood facing it, not knowing what else to do. She started crying and backing away slowly as it just looked at her, not doing anything. _Please, no more_.

Just when Anise thought it was going to let her go, it shoved its long claws into her abdomen. Eyes wide, she looked down to watch the creature lift her off the ground as her stomach bled out. _This is it... it’s over_. The pain was unbearable as she wept for Ulfric, for her _alma_ , for her _ata_ , for Sofie, and for all the people who will die because she did. _I’m so sorry I failed you..._

Something threw Anise’s mind into utter darkness, coughing out the water that was dumped on her naked body. The room was dark and cold. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she saw she was in a dungeon of some sort. She tried to move, but her wrists and ankles were in manacles chained to the wall. _What happened? Am I dead? Was that just a dream?_

“Alkiirvur?” she asked again, voice weak, but still, there was only silence.

“I have kept your dragon from talking to you. Wouldn’t want it to interrupt my process,” said the smooth voice that sounded vaguely familiar, though unable to locate its source.

“What do you want from me?” she asked, shivering and exhausted.

“Nothing, my dear, nothing at all. You are insignificant in the grand scheme of things.”

Before Anise comprehended what was going on, everything turned black once more. As her eyes adjusted, she found herself in a field of flowers. It must have been near Last Seed as the temperature was warm. The sky was blue, and Mundus shined warmly down on her face. Last Seed was her favorite month, and even in Windhelm, the temperatures were bearable.

She suddenly found herself on a large plaid blanket and sitting next to her _ata_ and _alma_ , who snuggled next to each other, laughing and very much in love. Anise smiled at her parents, so happy they were in love again, that they were a family. She dug in the basket and pulled out some cheese and wine, pouring everyone a mug. As she nibbled on the cheese, she took large sips of the delicious wine, loving the combination of flavors.

Anise stretched out her legs, leaning back on her hands, face pointing up towards the sky to bask in the rays of light and warmth. Anise was entirely at ease and content with her world. _A gorgeous day, two parents in love, excellent wine... who could ask for more?_

“Pass the bread and cheese, would you, _hla miluth_?” Teldryn asked.

Anise passed him the food and laid on her back, enjoying the day. 

Ridena playfully tugged on Anise’s toe. “Don’t get too comfortable. We have a big day planned. The wedding is in the morning, and we need to make sure we are ready.”

“Don’t worry, _alma_. We will be ready. I’m so excited that you and _ata_ are finally getting married.”

“Anise, there is something else you should know, and it may come as a surprise, but we hope you will be happy.”

Anise sat up, curious what her _alma_ was about to tell her. 

“We…” Ridena paused, looking at Teldryn with love in her eyes, then looked back at Anise. “We are having another child. I know, I know... we are old, but I’m still able to bear children, and well, it happened by accident, but we are happy. I hope you will be too.”

“What?! A child!” Anise couldn’t believe it. She was surprised but quite happy. “Oh, I am so happy! I’m going to be the oldest sister ever!” Anise laughed. “You sure you’re ready for crying babies, _ata_? It’s a lot of work?”

“I can handle anything after training you all that time in Solstheim,” he teased.

_Solstheim… Why does that fill me with a sense of dread?_ Flashes of lurkers, ash hoppers, being killed… skies darkening, temperatures plummeting. She shivered as the wind blew, and it poured freezing rain. It drenched Anise and when she looked around; she found she suddenly was alone, no longer with her parents.

Anise spun around to search for them only to find Stormcloak soldiers surrounded her, all aiming their swords or bows at her, ready to kill her on sight—faces full of rage. “What are you doing out here, dark-skin?”

_Ulfric... that’s right. I’m Ulfric’s wife... right? Aren’t I?_ Anise stood firm and looked at the soldier defiantly. “I’m Ulfric’s wife! How dare you!”

The soldiers all laughed in her face. She wrapped her arms around her, suddenly small and uncertain if her marriage was a dream or not. _I married him, didn’t I?_

“Ulfric Stormcloak would never marry a darky. You are trash! How dare you make such a claim!” he yelled out, backhanding her face as she fell to the ground.

Anise wiped her nose, and her hand came back covered in blood. She looked up at the soldier that hit her. “We married! Surely you got the notice he married the Dragonborn. I’m her!”

“Dragonborn? There hasn’t been a Dragonborn in centuries. Stop your lies, elf. Ulfric Stormcloak is married to a proper Nord woman, and they have three boys!”

_Nord woman? Three boys? It was a dream? It wasn’t real?_ Anise let tears spill, realizing none of what happened to her was real. She wasn’t the Dragonborn, she never saved Ulfric, and he never fell in love with her. 

The soldier yanked Anise up by the arm and dragged her back to their camp, throwing her to the ground. “We should kill you for making such claims about our Jarl. Instead, I have a better idea.”

If he had something better than killing her, she knew then that death was going to be preferable. Anise didn’t want to see, but her eyes were glued on the soldier walking away then returning with other soldiers, dragging two broken and bleeding bodies towards her. They were roughly thrown on the ground, knowing them to be her parents. _No…_

“What have you done to them!” she yelled, standing, ready to lunge herself at the soldier, not caring for her own life. Anise fell to the ground as another soldier hit her in the kidneys with the pommel of his sword. The sharp pain traveled through her body.

“They got what they deserved. You Dunmer are trash and don’t belong in Skyrim. We Nords sick of caring for you lazy elves,” he spat out. “Pick her up, hold her, and make her watch,” he ordered another soldier.

A soldier yanked Anise to stand and held her in place as the soldiers lifted her parents to their feet. 

“Wait... what, are you doing!” she yelled out, and a soldier rewarded her with a punch to her stomach. She fell over, gasping for breath, but firm hands wouldn’t let her fall.

They held Anise in place, still struggling to breathe when another soldier took a dagger slowly to Teldryn’s throat, slicing it cleanly open as blood pooled down the front of his body. It only took seconds before he was dead and crumpled to the ground.

“NO! _Ata_!!! Teldryn!!” she screamed, weeping as her body went limp, but the soldiers wouldn’t let her fall. She saw her mother crying silently at the death of her beloved. _Alma…_ “No, no... you can’t kill her... she is with child!”

“All the more reason!” the soldier yelled as he took his sword and stabbed her mother in the stomach. Then he decapitated her.

Anise wailed in the sky as she lost both of her parents and future sibling. All she wanted at that moment was to die. They were all she had in the world, and now she had nothing. The Stormcloaks took everything from her. “Please... just... kill me,” she wept out.

The soldier that had killed her mother, sword hanging, still dripping with her mother’s blood to the ground, looked at her smugly. “Your wish is granted,” he said as he thrust the sword into Anise’s stomach, blackness consuming her mind.

Rulindil stood up from his chair and stretched. He was exhausted after casting his illusion spell on the girl all day and needed some rest. “I’m going to lie down for a while,” he informed Cyrelian, a fellow Thalmor Justiciar. 

“What about the girl?” he asked.

“I need you to keep her awake in complete blackness using your own illusion spell. That should tie her over for a while before I return. You can handle that, can’t you?” Rulindil asked, his calm and arrogant voice left no room for argument.

“As you command, sir,” Cyrelian bowed.

Anise woke up, holding her stomach, still believing they gutted her with the sword, but her stomach came away dry. She was drenched in sweat from the fear. The fear reached her very bones as she searched around, but there was nothing to see. Only utter blackness surrounded her. _Am I dead? Is this the Void? How can I be dead if I feel so much?_

She tried to walk forward, one slow and tentative foot in front of the other, arms and hands out to keep her from running into something, but there was nothing there. The tears pool out of her eyes, not knowing what to do. 

“Alkiirvur…” she whispered in the dark, knowing by now he wouldn’t respond. _What is happening to me?_

Afraid to do anything else, Anise curled up in a ball on the floor and wept, shaking from the terror.

“Dur gein _! Hear me! I am here! What you see and feel, not real!_ ” Alkiirvur called out to her. The dragon was still in her mind, but her mind was no longer being controlled by her. The arrogant Altmer took her and had manipulated her into believing she was being hunted or killed, and her family butchered. 

Alkiirvur sensed every bit of pain and suffering inflicted on his _dovahkiin_. It also pained him to see what she was going through. The difference being he knew it wasn’t real; she did not.

He had been trying to reach her since they chained her against the wall, to no avail. The wizard was persuasive and knew exactly what to do without causing actual physical torture. The elf revealed nothing about the purpose behind the mental agony. Alkiirvur tried to listen, but the wizard knew the dragon was there and silenced him.

Alkiirvur had not felt this helpless since he saw his dead body on the ground the day Akatosh rewarded him.

Anise woke from the blackness with a start, coughing and sputtering out the freezing water splashed on her. She groaned, her arms in pain from being chained to the wall standing as her body slumped forward, not having the strength to hold herself up.

“Ah! Good, you are awake, my dear,” Rulindil exclaimed happily as if they were old friends. 

All she was able to do was groan. She was so cold from being naked and drenched with freezing water, her shivering uncontrollable.

“I will warm you up and let you rest for a while if you answer some questions for me.”

She tried to look up at the man, but she was too weak to lift her head. She had no idea how long she had been there or what was really going on. Her mind and mental state were all over the place, and she wasn’t able to focus on what he was saying to her.

Rulindil slowly paced back and forth, arms clasped behind his back. “Now then, shall we begin? We have intercepted several letters between Ulfric Stormcloak and General Tullius. I have it under good authority that they are trying to broker peace. Tell me, girl, what happened to Jarl Ulfric to get him to change his mind so quickly about the war?”

“Wha…?”

“You heard me. Why did Ulfric decide he wanted peace after such a strong determination to wipe the Imperials and Thalmor off the map of Skyrim?”

“I... I, you…”

“Me? What do you mean... speak up. I don’t have all day. Do not make me send you back in your mind. Don’t you want to warm up and get some sleep?”

“Ye... he... I f... found nuh... notes. You... used him... lies... knows.”

“Ah, so you found the dossier we had on him, did you? Tsk. You made a fool of me that day in front of Elenwen. She still has not forgiven me for not noticing and stopping you. You managed to kill several of us during your thievery. While Elenwen is more focused on your Ulfric, I am deriving quite the pleasure torturing your mental state.”

Rulindil stood in front of Anise and lifted her head to look at him.

“So he knows we manipulated him and realizes we are more the enemy than the Imperials? Interesting. Surely it took more than the dossier to change his mind. He was beyond vengeful of the Imperials and their betrayal... well, really ours, but who’s counting?”

“Love…”

Rulindil scoffed. “Love? Love you? Yes, yes... I’m aware of your silly marriage to Ulfric Stormcloak, but I cannot for the life of me understand it. He hates the Dunmer. I’m sure you were just a necessary political tool. I mean, look at you. You barely even look like a mer, let alone a Nord, though you may as well be a human.”

Anise’s tears spilled, but she refused to believe she was a political tool. She was sure about her love for Ulfric and his in her... wasn’t she? _Didn’t the soldier tell me it was a lie? Was that real?_

“I want to know what changed in the Nord. It was more than a dossier or a politically arranged marriage. You spent enough time with the man.”

“I... no. I don’t know... did I? I can’t remember…”

“Focus, girl. I will get the answers from you, so you may as well tell me. You want to be warm, don’t you?”

“Travel... I helped bring home, I... think. We talk... there’s... no hate. Ignorance... not hate.”

The wizard scoffed again. From everything he knew about Ulfric Stormcloak, that man was unyielding and determined. It took little to set him off and start a Civil War. Rulindil found it hard to believe this mere child convinced him otherwise. “So you just strolled along, getting to know each other, and he just changes... just like that?”

“No... not easy. He... doesn’t hate... just focused. Realized Imperials are not... at fault... you. You are... the enemy... Thalmor. You are worse... not hard to change.”

Anise couldn’t talk anymore, she was so weak. She had no idea how long she had been there or when she ate last.

“That’s good for now. I will ask more questions later. Why don’t you warm up, have a bite to eat, and get some rest? You will need it. And before you ask, I have no intention of killing you... yet. It all depends on what Elenwen wants.”

Anise felt her arms fall free as she fell to the ground in a heap, weak and shivering. They laid some scraps of food before her, some slop and old bread, but all she could do was curl up her legs and arms in pain and feeling utterly sleep deprived, but shaking too much from the cold to sleep. Someone threw a small, old, and worn blanket at her as she pulled it on top of her body. As she warmed up a bit, blissful sleep finally found her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you Vokunkendov for the Illusion idea!
> 
> Next: Search and rescue


	33. The Desperate Search

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Anise struggles with reality, Teldryn, unable to find her, returns to Windhelm and seeks the help of Ulfric. Together they go in search for Anise and hope to find her still alive and unharmed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!

Teldryn came back from hunting, carrying two pheasants he killed, feeling proud of himself— _a special treat hla miluth will love_ , he thought, but when he returned to camp, Anise was nowhere around. He wasn’t worried, assuming she had to relieve herself or get cleaned up. Teldryn knew she wouldn’t be gone long.

He sat down and plucked all the feathers off the birds, then continued to gut them. Anise already made spits, so once they were cleaned, he placed them on the sticks over the fire to cook. His mouth was watering in anticipation as pheasant was one of his favorites. Pheasant was hard to come by in Solsteim. The terrain didn’t allow for them.

As he watched the birds cook, Teldryn looked over and Anise’s sketchbook lying haphazardly on the ground. It was unusual for her to just toss her sketchbook. She was always careful to put it back in her bag if she had to do something else to protect it. He headed over to pick it up and dusted the dirt off it. There were several inappropriate pictures of her and Ulfric. He blushed and slammed it shut, putting it in her pack. _She would never have left her book lying about, especially with pictures like those for him to find_.

“Anise!” he yelled out, beginning to doubt if she was just relieving herself. Surely she would have been back by now.

Teldryn walked around the perimeter of the camp, calling out to her, but she gave no response. Concern soon gave way to worry when she didn’t return and didn’t respond to his calls. No matter what she was doing, she should have been back already. They went on missions and travels together, and not once did she go off for long periods.

He inspected the camp to try to figure out where she headed. The most unusual thing was her book tossed to the ground. As he looked closely, he noted some areas of the grass that were trampled down by something or someone... several someones. The area that was covered in dirt had several footprints that didn’t match the petite feet of his daughter. He followed the trail of tamped down grass until he came to a large outcropping of rocks, finding several foot impressions. They blended together as if in wait. Fear hit the pit of his stomach, realizing something terrible happened to his _julikal_. _No... someone took her. Were we being followed? They must have been excellent at stealth for me to not notice._

Teldryn packed up his gear, put out the fire, the delicious birds left to the lucky animals, and he fled the camp to find her. He followed the foot trail left behind by the assumed culprits as he pulled their two horses behind him. Their path led to the SouthWest. 

After following the footprints for several hours, the weather took a turn for the worse and poured rain. _No, no, no... stop. I need to see the footprints!_ Teldryn ran, but the rain proved too much as the trail washed away with the pounding wetness. He brushed back his wet and fallen mohawk with a hand, cursing the sky. _Sheogorath take you!_ He wasn’t able to follow the trail any longer and decided to return to Windhelm to seek help from Ulfric. He had a court wizard who could probably help find her.

Teldryn headed back to Windhelm, which would take a day—an extra day that she got further away from him, but there was little choice. He no longer had a trail to follow. 

It was late the next evening when Teldryn reached Windhelm. He completely bypassed his home and Ridena, heading straight for the palace... _no sense in worrying her just yet._ Ulfric would be asleep, but Teldryn had to wake the man immediately. _Ulfric and Ridena are going to fucking kill me_. _I even want to kick my own ass._

As he walked into the throne room, he realized Ulfric was not asleep, hearing his baritone voice echoing from the war room. Teldryn took a hard swallow, knowing this man would be furious after promising to protect his wife.

Ulfric was looking over the map of Skyrim, removing blue flags from it as the battles had stopped for now. Sleep eluded him since Anise left, always worried about her, so he worked and planned. Galmar was also there, ever by his side, ready to listen and support.

He looked up from the map when he heard a polite cough coming from the doorway. His stomach fluttered with nerves then anger, seeing Teldryn standing there, Anise’s father. _Something has happened to her, or else this man wouldn’t be here this late at night when he’s supposed to be watching over Anise._

“Where is she? What has happened?”

Teldryn saw the anger and fear reflected in the Jarl’s blue eyes. It mirrored his own emotions, being angry at himself for not being more watchful of their surroundings. “I believe someone has taken her and I need help to find her.”

“How did you let this happen!” Ulfric boomed at the man.

“I did not let it just happen! I was the one to hunt down our dinner, thinking she was safer by the fire than she would be out hunting. Whoever took her were watching and were excellent at being silent, probably a spell, or else I would have noticed them following.”

“And why did you come straight here! Did you not follow her?!”

Teldryn tried to keep his cool at the furious Jarl, needing to explain all, but he was crumbling under the guilt. “I did, but I lost the train as soon as it poured rain. I need help in finding her and thought maybe your wizard had a way to do that.”

“You should have brought her hunting with you! You should never have left her alone!” Ulfric shouted, his voice echoing off the stone walls in the night's silence.

“Do you think I have not replayed that in my head over and over?! She may be your wife, but she is my _julikal_... daughter! I love her just as much!” Teldryn didn’t care if he was yelling at the Jarl of Windhelm. By all rights, he was his son-in-law, despite being of noble birth.

Ulfric sighed, seeing the guilt in the father’s dark red eyes. He then looked at Galmar, who listened to the entire argument. “Galmar, please fetch Wuunferth from his slumber and tell him I need him immediately.”

Galmar bowed without saying a word and rushed to get the Court Wizard.

“Now tell me exactly what happened,” Ulfric demanded as he paced. Horrible thoughts ran through his mind about what had happened to his wife. _I knew something terrible would happen to her! I knew someone would take her away!_ Ulfric squashed the panic and despair rising to calm himself so he could think clearly.

“I went hunting for our dinner and wasn’t gone longer than an hour before I returned and found Anise gone. I wasted another thirty minutes getting our meal ready, assuming she had gone to clean up or relieve herself. Then I realized her sketchbook was lying face down on the ground. She always takes good care of her books, so I found it strange that it was lying there in the dirt.”

Teldryn pushed down his panic and tried to be calm as he told his story, but he couldn’t help but let the worry course through him. “When I put it back in her pack, I found footprints trampled on the grass. I followed it to where several people were probably watching and waiting for us to be separated. They left a trail for me to follow, but it started to rain and washed away all traces of her.”

“So you did not notice them following you at all? I thought you were an expert in such things,” Ulfric said through gritted teeth, running a hand back and forth through his mussed hair.

Teldryn grew angry at this man but realized it was more directed at himself. “They were professional. If they were any thief or assassin, I would have heard them. No, this took something magical for me not to notice... powerful magic like a muffle spell.”

“This better be good!” Wuunferth complained as he walked in, still wearing his nightshirt, looking older than he usually did, the sleepiness accentuating his deep wrinkles.

“You need to find my wife,” demanded Ulfric. “Someone has taken her, and we need to find where. Can you do it?” He was demanding at first, but his question came out pleadingly, voice cracking.

“I can try to scry. Do you have something of hers? Something personal?”

Ulfric ran up to his room and grabbed his portrait she drew off the wall. He smashed the frame with no time to take it apart and rushed back down.

While Ulfric retrieved an item of Anise’s, the Court Wizard poured water into a metal bowl on the main dining table so he could read into it. Once he finished, Ulfric handed him the piece of paper. The old man took the portrait and closed his eyes to get a sense of the woman. He then focused a spell on the bowl as he concentrated on the water, waiting to see any images that might appear.

Ulfric was getting impatient, pacing back and forth, still running hands through his already mussed blonde hair. Teldryn felt the same, yet outwardly appeared to be calm as he leaned against a wall, arm folded, waiting.

“Here we are... I see an old fort pressed up against a cliffside… a river... no, rushing water... rapids, waterfalls. There are trees, lots of them... wooded. It is not in Eastmarch... but close, possibly the Pale or Whiterun territory. Washed away shack, another larger fort not too far... cliffs on the other side as well. There... hang on…”

The old man focused his Magicka on the bowl to see if he could make out a more precise reading. “Yes... yes, bridge close by and... secret door. Yes, there is a secret door... hatch inside under the bridge. It’s all I can make out.”

Ulfric ran to his map in the war room, as Teldryn followed, and tried to find what Wuunferth described. “Here... it could be this river valley here. There is an abandoned prison built into the cliffside. I know there is a waterfall there with a bridge nearby. That could be the place.”

“It’s as good as we are going to get. Let’s go,” Teldryn ordered the Jarl of Windhelm.

It was not yet dawn as Teldryn followed Ulfric to the stables. Ulfric grabbed his personal stallion, Magni, as they both rode their horses at a steady gallop SouthWest to find Anise.

Alkiirvur kept trying to reach his _dovahkiin,_ to no avail. She just could not hear him, but he tried as he pushed deeper and deeper into her mind, even so much as trying to reach into one of her illusions. The wizard was just too powerful and kept Alkiirvur out of her head. He was also excellent at using her own fears and weaknesses against her.

It tortured him to see her in her mental pain and anguish, seeing how the illusions were destroying her mind. Every time she returned to reality, she was less and less of herself. She was having a hard time distinguishing what was real or not. It hurt him almost as much as it hurt her, except his mind remained intact.

Anise walked through the Gray Quarter, bundling her worn and thin cloak around her tighter. The cloak proved useless against the bitter cold and winds blowing through the alleyway as her hair whipped around her face. She had to tread carefully, or else she would slip on the ice and injure herself as she made her way to the Cornerclub. Malthyr wanted to see her about a job.

She looked forward to more coin, something she was saving to finally get out of Windhelm. As she walked into the Cornerclub, she headed straight to the fire to warm her hands and body before she did anything, as the frozen numbness melted away. The handsome Dunmer she had her eyes on was next to the fire watching her, a smirk on his face. Anise gave him a polite smile and tried to hide her blushing face. 

While he was handsome, the Dunmer was bothering her as he wouldn’t stop staring and smirking, so she walked away to find Malthyr. _He may be handsome, but he’s a creep._

“There you are! It’s about time, you slow and lazy mer!” Malthyr grumbled.

“Hey! I got here as quickly as I could! No need to be a fetcher!” she snapped back.

“See, that’s the problem we all have with you. You’re a _n’wah_ who thinks she can talk to us anyway she wants. You have no respect for your people. _B’vehk_! You don’t even look like your people!”

Anise struggled to not let his words sting, but they hit their mark and ran deep. She choked back the tears, and she asked what job he wanted her to do.

“Job? I wouldn’t give you a coin if you were the last Dunmer in all of Nirn. I called you here so we can finally teach you a lesson. You need to stop spreading your lies and treating us like you are the Nord, and we are nothing to you, beneath you. The fact is, you are nothing to us. Not even your _alma_ wants you.”

She stood facing him, trying to hide her shock, giving him her fiercest stare with hands on her hips. “What are you talking about, Malthyr! My _alma_ loves me!”

“She does not. In fact, she’s right here to help us teach you a lesson!”

Anise looked away from Malthyr to see her mother looking back at her with disappointment and disgust in her eyes. “ _Alma_?”

“Don’t ‘ _alma_ ’ me. You are not my daughter with your hateful lies! You never wanted to help your own people, wanting them to continue struggling,” Ridena spat out. “All that work I put into helping our people and all you ever did was complain.”

“No... that’s not true.”

Anise looked around the room to find herself surrounded by around fifteen Dunmer, all with a similar look her _alma_ had. She backed up away from them, only to run into the wall. Fear hit her in the pit of her stomach, realizing their intentions were to harm her. She had never seen so much hate, and it was all directed at her. She slid her body along the wall until she came to the door and tried to turn the knob, but someone locked it. _How did it get locked_?

Malthyr stood inches from Anise’s face, scowling at her. “We do not want you here, _n’wah_!” he spat, then punched her in the stomach. She doubled over gasping for breath then felt an uppercut hit her jaw as it flung her head backward, hard against the door.

The attack spurred the rest into action as they all tore into her, ripping her clothes off. They shoved her to the ground as they kicked and punched her. There were too many to fight off, and she tried to use her spells, but nothing worked. Flashes of lurkers crossed her hazy memory. All she could do was curl up in a ball as they kicked her face, back, legs—anything they could reach. The pain was unbearable, and she wanted to die right then. _No one wants me anyway, not even my_ alma _. What’s the point?_

Someone granted her wish as they pulled out a dagger and repeatedly stabbed her, getting carried away in her beating. She was bleeding out everywhere when—

Cold and wet darkness suddenly hit her. The tears pouring down her face as she shivered, unable to move. She hung limply from the wall, sobbing from the past... dream? _Where am I?_ Anise struggled to look around, but she wasn’t able to lift her head. _Is... was that real? Is this?_

Anise’s head rose with a gentle finger under her chin, lifting it. Golden eyes peered back at her red ones, eyes filled with indifference. “You are breaking perfectly, my dear. Elenwen will be so pleased, and I will be back in her good graces soon enough. Your Ulfric will receive word of your demise by the Imperial hands. He will break once more and continue this war until you all destroy yourselves. So much better than the Aldmeri Dominion wasting precious resources on you filth.”

“Aldmer... war…” she tried to repeat.

“Yes, despite your suffering, you can still comprehend. Tsk. Surprising. Well, it will make breaking you much more fun. You are stronger than I gave you credit, but it shouldn’t be too much longer. Once you fully break, you will beg for death, and I will grant you your wish, just as you do every time in your mind. Unfortunately, Elenwen has to approve your death first.”

“Death... I... no. I want my…”

“You want what, dear? Your husband? He doesn’t love you, remember?”

“No, he... who?” _Who’s my husband? Am I married?_

Anise passed out then as he unlocked her chains, watching her crumple to the ground as if she didn’t have a bone in her body. He laid a blanket over her, not wanting her dead yet. He planned to send word immediately to Elenwen to get her approval, eager to kill this girl.

Rulindil had Cyrelian cast another darkness spell on the girl while he rested. When he returned, he would give her the last illusion, which would break her completely. _Then she will beg for death and I will grant it._

Alkiirvur sensed his _dovahkiin_ about to fully break. He knew once she did, she would die. If she died, he could return to his body and be a dragon once more, but then he would fail in his mission. Worst of all, he would have failed her.

It took two days to reach the old prison as Ulfric and Teldryn hid behind some rocks to observe the area. 

“There’s the bridge, and assuming your wizard was correct, there should be a hatch we can sneak into,” Teldryn pointed out as they watched two Thalmor guards pace the area. “This has to be the place. Why else would the Thalmor be here?”

Ulfric closed his eyes and tried to breathe calming breaths. He should have known the Thalmor would pull such a stunt. It was a struggle to control his panic after what they did to him those years ago. The last time they tortured him, they used his woman against him. If it worked the first time, why not the second? _But I have the advantage. They don’t realize I know what they are doing and why. The Thalmor will not expect me. I just hope she’s still alive._

“What if she’s dead?” Teldryn whispered, not sure he wanted to know the answer, asking the same question Ulfric did.

“Their goal is to break me to keep fighting the war. I’m sure she lives... for now, though I cannot guess in what condition she will be in,” he replied through gritted teeth, almost sure they tortured her.

“So, this is your fault! They are after you... to punish you! You marrying her put her in danger!” Teldryn hissed at the man, not letting the enemy hear his anger.

Ulfric wanted to lash out at the mer, but he had the same thoughts. If he never married her or loved her, they would never have used her against him. “You are right, and I’m going to fix this. Let’s go.”

They snuck under the bridge, remaining invisible to the guards. It was difficult as the bridge was right next to the building. They had to take turns running below the bridge when the guards disappeared from view.

The hatch was locked, which wasn’t a surprise. Fortunately, Teldryn could unlock virtually anything. He pulled out his lock picks, placing them in the locks, wiggling and twisting them around until he heard a click of the tumblers. Opening the hatch, he climbed down first, followed by Ulfric.

They landed in knee-deep water and piles of bones. Careful not to trip, they slowly sludged through the water until they came to a dead-end and a ladder. “I will go first and look to make sure it’s all clear,” Teldryn whispered.

Ulfric nodded and silently unsheathed his sword.

The top of the ladder was free of any barriers or doors, so he raised his body up just enough to peer out, eyes level to the floor. In the distance, he could see a naked, dark-skinned woman shackled to the wall of a cell. She was hanging limply— _Anise_. It crushed his soul to see her like that.

Teldryn pushed back the emotions, knowing it wouldn’t do her any favors if he broke, and indicated to Ulfric the coast was clear. Before they got her, they would have to deal with the Thalmor first. They wouldn’t be able to fight while carrying her, and before Ulfric could see her, he explained to him the plan.

“You are going to want to rush to her when you see her. I beg you to control the emotions. We have to kill the bastards first... please,” Teldryn begged.

Ulfric knew it was terrible if Teldryn told him to keep the emotions in check. Swallowing hard, he looked over to where Teldryn was pointing. He couldn’t know if she was dead or not, but the grief and anger hit him as if someone suddenly punched him in the stomach. He struggled to breathe. _Oh, I’m going to use my emotions, alright. I’m going to kill them all_ — _kill them painfully!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: Breaking Points


	34. The Tortured Mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anise is still suffering in illusions when Teldyrn and Ulfric finally reach her. She is rescued in body alone, while still trapped in her own mind, uncertain what is real or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! <3

Anise choked and gasped for air from the smoke swirling around her. She caught glimpses of fires, burned buildings, and bodies scattered throughout the blood-tinged land. Corpses of people and horses, broken and bloody, surrounded her everywhere she looked. The stench of death and blood made her want to retch as she gagged back the bile that rose to her throat. 

Anise glanced down at her own body, noticing her armor was in shreds and covered in blood, not sure if it was her blood or someone else’s. _Was I in a battle? I don’t remember._

As the smoke cleared, the land was littered with the dead, uniforms of red and blue intermingled as if they were no longer the enemy. The hatred died with them. Vague thoughts drifted in her mind, wondering if they would still be enemies in the afterlife.

There was a man on the ground lying at her feet. His body was vaguely familiar to her with his dented armor and light blue sash, torn and bloody. Anise didn’t understand the fear that crept up her stomach and the pain in her heart. _Why does this man’s death bother me?_ But the grief was unmistakable.

She kneeled next to him, who was lying face down in the bloodied soil and rolled him over. When she looked at his blonde hair, recognizing his face, it seemed like the ground fell out from under her. Anise struggled to find her breath as a horrendous moan escaped her. She pressed her body pressed to his as she wept at the man who was so familiar to her, yet unknown. Foggy bits of memory that clogged her mind—a wedding, making love, long talks. The memories were like pieces of dust moats she struggled to grasp. Each time she reached out, they would brush away from her.

_Husband and lover_ was what she remembered the longer he stared at his face, trailing fingers across his rough skin. _We were married, right? Now he is dead._ They were all gone, and it was her fault. She pulled the man’s head onto her lap as she cried. She felt utterly empty and alone. There was no one to hear her wails because everyone was dead. She had failed them all.

As Anise wept on her dead husband when she felt hot gusts of wind burst from the fires against her back.

“ _Hi los viik ahrk pah hin fron los dilon_ (You are defeated, and all your kin is dead). _Hi ni balaan Alduin_ (You are not worthy of Alduin),” spoke the black dragon, hovering above her, his low and guttural voice booming in the silence of death.

“ _Drey hi fen krii niin pah_ (Did you have to kill them all)?” Anise asked in a whisper.

“ _Zu’u los al do lein_ (I am destroyer of worlds),” he replied simply. She could have sworn the dragon shrugged. “ _Nu nii los hin meyz_ (now it is your turn).”

Anise knew all along she wasn’t worthy of being the Dragonborn. She understood, deep down in her heart, she would fail, and everyone would die. Akatosh made a mistake in choosing her to be the champion against Alduin. She lost everything and everyone she ever cared about. It was over, willing to accept her inevitable death.

The great black dragon flew higher into the smoky gray clouds, opened his mouth as it lit up with fire. Anise sensed her end was near. That Alduin was going to kill her right then, and she welcomed it. There was nothing left for her. She closed her eyes and felt the heat burn her flesh—

Teldryn and Ulfric moved away from Anise’s location with great reluctance as they headed higher into the prison. It was all they could do not to rush to her, but they had to kill all the guards and Thalmor first. 

As the two crept up the stone steps, Teldryn in the lead, they came to a room full of broken furniture and crumbling stone with one bed intact. In the bed lay a sleeping form in the traditional golden Elven armor. Teldryn did not wait for the Altmer to wake up as he slit his throat in silence. 

While Teldryn was busy with the elf, Ulfric ran ahead to the next level, not bothering to be silent any longer. He was not content to wait, his anger boiling over and beyond rage. He stopped in his tracks when he came face to face with a Thalmor Justiciar in his black robes. A look of shock painted his face as he whispered Ulfric’s name.

“How did you know?” the mer asked.

Ulfric used the elf’s shock and slowly penetrated his stomach with his sword. He didn’t want to kill the mer just yet, just inflict an immense amount of pain. The Altmer’s eyes grew wide from a combination of surprise, pain, and fear. Ulfric gripped him by his robe with his other hand, pressing his face just inches from his enemy. “What have you done to her?” he asked, teeth clenched.

“No... no… nothing,” he said, trying to be defiant, knowing he was going to die, but it came out as fear and pain.

“Lies!” Ulfric growled in the mer’s ear, gripping his long hair in his fist, and twisted the sword in his gut, making him scream out before Ulfric clamped his mouth shut with his hand. “Tell me now, and I might give you a quick death.”

“Illusions... just illusions. Not... touched. We didn’t... touch her,” he groaned, panting for breath from the pain.

Teldryn showed up at that point and had his own questions. “What type of illusions! What have you done!” 

“I... I... I... just kept her... in darkness. I was... ordered. Rulindil... he... he was... more specific with his... illusions. He... did not tell... me what... visions gave her.”

“It was visions of torture, wasn’t it! Wasn’t it!” Ulfric gritted.

The mer just nodded at the angry blonde Nord, still not understanding how Ulfric Stormcloak had found them.

Ulfric growled as he shoved the elf against the hard, cold stones, sword digging deeper and gripping the elf’s throat as he strangled him. Ulfric watched as the mer struggled for breath, trying to pry the strong fingers off of his throat, eyes bugging out from the lack of oxygen and pressure.

Ulfric twisted the sword once more, killing the Thalmor elf, and let him collapse in a heap on the floor, then spat on him. Unable to control his fury any longer, he flew into a rage as he went from room to room, hacking, slicing, cutting every Altmer that crossed his path. All he saw was red from the blood and death, unable to control the raging tears at what they did to his wife. The flashbacks of his previous lover and her torture washed over him in agonizing pain. It was a clap on the back from Teldryn that knocked him out of his misery, clearing his head. _Anise._ He had to get to Anise.

Ulfric and Teldryn, certain they killed all the Thalmor but one, ran down to the bottom level to where Anise was being held. 

Rulindil was calm as he saw the two angry men rush towards him, death in their eyes. It surprised him to see Ulfric, unsure how he found out, but he kept it hidden as he raised both hands with lightning spells ready. He would have to be careful because Elenwen did not want Ulfric dead—only the girl. She needed him to continue the war, not turn him into a martyr. He aimed one hand in Anise’s direction and the other in theirs. “Stop where you are. If you come any closer, I will kill her. Do not think I will not... she is meaningless to me and our plans.”

“You kill her, I kill you. It is as simple as that,” Ulfric said, strangely calm now. “I am through with you Thalmor and your evil, traitorous plots against the people of Skyrim. You torture and kill for pleasure, believing yourselves to be gods. I’m done with it all. You kill her, and you will see a war against your people, the likes of which you have never seen.”

“Come now, Ulfric Stormcloak. Your country is torn apart and weak. While you have torn each other apart, the Aldmeri Dominion has grown stronger. We are so close to destroying mortals.”

Teldryn scoffed at the mer. “Mortals? You’re mortal, you filthy _n’wah_.”

“That is where you are wrong. We are close to achieving godhood. You cannot stop us.”

Ulfric didn’t care anymore. He would not let this elf hold Anise hostage any longer or let them use him for their evil machinations as he lunged at the wizard, feeling the electricity course through his body. Ulfric knew if he leaped at the mer, he would be too distracted to harm Anise. _She needs to live_.

Ignoring the electric pain, his adrenaline pumping through his body, he landed on top of the Thalmor as they both fell to the ground. Years of torture and war had left Ulfric highly tolerant to pain. The spell stopped as he slammed Rulindil on his back to the hard ground, knocking the wind out of him. Ulfric pounded the mer’s face, breaking his nose, his jaw, cheekbones. His fingers were breaking, bleeding with each hit, but he didn’t stop. All the pain and torture he suffered years ago, the death of his lover, torture of Anise, all culminated in each punch as he howled.

Teldryn attempted several times to pull the angry Nord off of the elf, knowing the Altmer was almost dead, face smashed until it was unrecognizable. “Enough, Ulfric!” Teldryn yelled, yanking the Jarl off.

“No! He deserves to die!” he yelled, shrugging off Teldryn.

“He deserves to die painfully. You are killing him too quickly!”

That stopped Ulfric, now feeling the pain in his hand. “What did you have in mind?” he asked, not recognizing his own voice.

“I’m not very good with Illusion spells, but I can certainly put him in a pit of darkness as he did with her. We chain him up as he chained her and leave him there for the Skeevers to feed off of as he loses his own mind.”

Ulfric quirked a smile, but there was no humor in it. “You have a devious mind, Teldryn. I like it.”

Teldryn healed Ulfric’s hand as they hung up the bastard Thalmor. “No, you... can’t... no,” the wizard said weakly through swollen and smashed lips.

“We can and we will. You deserve worse, but we don’t have the time to peel off your flesh,” Teldryn said, getting in the mer’s face.

“Go find her armor and weapons, Teldryn. I’m sure they kept them around. I will get her down. Then we can deal with this prick and take her home.”

Teldryn ran off in search of Anise’s things as Ulfric looked in Rulindil’s robes for a key to unlock her chains. He found it along with some letters stashed away from Elenwen, which he put in his pack. With the key in hand, he unlocked her ankles first, then her wrists as she fell into him. He gently laid her on the filthy pile of hay they provided as he tried to wake her. “Anise... Anise, my love. Wake up.” His voice cracked in despair, struggling to remain hopeful.

Ulfric brushed away greasy hair from her wet face and suddenly wept as he held her close. He knew they didn’t torture her body, but they plagued her mind, uncertain which was worse. He understood such tortures and knew that it would take her a long time to recover mentally, if ever. The one thing he knew for sure is she would never be the same again. The Thalmor stole her inner beauty with their brutality.

He lifted Anise onto his lap and pulled her closer to his chest, weeping into her neck as she laid there limply. “Please wake up, my love... please.”

As Ulfric held her, Teldryn returned with her gear. The spell wouldn’t last long, but they would make sure the Altmer suffered. He removed the mer’s robes, dumped his body with cold water as the wizard did to his _julikal_ , then cast his spell. 

Ulfric lifted Anise into his arms as they both headed out of the prison to Rulindil’s cries of terror echoing through the chamber.

There was nothing left for her. She closed her eyes and felt the heat burn her flesh, but the fire and pain halted. Anise opened her eyes, looking around in confusion, seeing the dragon gone. The sea of death was gone too. She stood there in empty space, but it was not as dark as the last time. She saw some light, but not the source. There was nothing else in the vast space. It terrified her once more as she cried. But then she heard it. “ _Anise!_ ” someone cried out.

Anise spun around to the sound, not sure where it came from. _“Anise... Anise, my love. Wake up.”_ There it was again—a voice she recognized from her past... _recently?_ _Do I know this person?_

“Hello?” she yelled out to the man calling for her. There was nothing to see, no man calling her. She could hear, but there was no one there.

Then there was weeping. Why would he be crying? He sounds so familiar. “ _Please wake up, my love... please._ ”

There was another voice in the distance—a voice she recognized, but she was unsure who he was as well, though his voice was full of pain. _“_ Julikal. _.. we need you to wake up! Please,_ hla miluth _!”_

_‘Hla miluth’_... she knew... _ata_?! “ _Ata_ ,” she yelled out and began running toward the voice. “I can’t see you! Where are you!” she yelled out, voice echoing into nothingness.

Teldryn killed the last two guards stationed outside the prison while Ulfric carried Anise. They weren’t able to go back out the way they came carrying her, so they had to deal with the last of the Thalmor. 

They worked their way down the cliff to where their horses waited. Ulfric eased Anise into Teldryn’s arms as he got on his horse. Then they put her side-saddle in front of Ulfric with her head leaning into his shoulder and wrapped her in a blanket.

“She is lost,” said a weak voice coming from Anise as they rode back to Windhelm.

Ulfric stopped his horse, thinking Anise had woken up. “What? Anise? Are you awake finally? Are you alright, my love?” When he looked down on her, she appeared to still be unconscious. 

“Lost in head... she is lost. I am separated from her. Cannot talk to her until she comes back,” she said.

“Alkiirvur? Is that you?” Ulfric asked.

“Yes, me, Alkiirvur. _Dur gein_ lost.” 

Teldryn ran his horse alongside Ulfric. “Alkiirvur, are you saying Anise is lost in her mind still?”

“Yes... lost.”

He looked at Ulfric with deep concern in his eyes. “She is no longer under an illusion spell, but because she wasn’t properly brought out of it, she’s trapped. I hope she can find her way back. When we make camp tonight, I try to help her through it with my own spell, though I’m not nearly as strong as that wizard in illusion spells.”

“Anything... we need to try something. I need her back.”

“She cannot hear me,” Alkiirvur said. “Wizard separate, she’s lost.”

“I will do my best to reunite her with all of us,” Teldryn said more confidently than he felt.

Before it got too dark, they made camp. The two men had not slept in two days and were exhausted. There would have been no way they would have made it back to Windhelm without passing out and falling off their horses, despite needing to get Anise back as fast as they could.

Ulfric wrapped her in a cloak, but she was shivering as she still was naked, so he dug around through her gear and pulled out her tunic and breeches, putting them on her. Teldryn turned away, unable to watch. Then he removed his armor so he could take off his tunic to keep her body warm. He laid Anise on his bedroll by the fire, then covered her with the blanket and laid down next to her, bringing her close to his body for warmth. Memories flashed when they first traveled together. It was the time he realized he was falling for her but fought it. His eyes welled up with emotions as he shoved them deep into his mind. He needed to be strong for her.

As Ulfric and Anise laid there, rubbing a hand along her arm and shoulder for comfort, Teldryn sat next to her and tried to reach out to Anise using one of his own illusion spells. He was rusty with those particular spells, but he had to try. 

As he sat there with legs crossed in front of her, hands resting on his knees, he closed his eyes and reached out with his spell into her mind.

Anise sat on the ground naked, knees drawn up against her chest protectively. She was afraid to move with nowhere to go. There was nothing as far as she could see. She could no longer hear the voices calling out to her, so she couldn’t follow the sounds any longer. 

_How many times did I die? Am I dead? Am I alive? Is... where am I?_ Head pressed against her knees, she sobbed. She was losing her mind and didn’t know if this was real or a dream or a nightmare. Flashes of memory filtered through her mind, but she couldn’t piece cohesive thoughts together to form a picture.

“ _Anise?! Where are you,_ hla miluth _?!_ ” Anise’s heart hammered against her heart with a sense of reluctant hope, hearing the voice. “ _I know you are here, but I do not see you! Shout to me,_ julikal _!_ ”

“ _Ata_ …,” she whispered, her voice hoarse and weak, and coughed to clear her throat, trying again. “ _Ata._ ” It was still not a shout, but it was louder.

“ _I hear you,_ hla miluth _! Louder! Keep talking and let me find you._ ”

“ _There is nothing... I... I can’t see you!_ ” she wept.

“ _I will find you! Just keep talking!_ ” Teldryn pleaded. The area was devoid of all objects in its vastness. Only a little light led the way. He could not see her, but he had a feeling she wasn’t far. He just had to visualize his _julikal_ or, most likely, she had to imagine him for her to see he was there. 

He tried a different tactic. “ _Anise,_ Os daelha ohn, hla miluth _. I’m here to find you and bring you home. I love you... we all love you. We need you to reach out to us... reach out to my voice. I think you are going to have to come to me._ Os daelha ohn. _”_

“ _But I can’t see you! You...you’re not going to hurt me, are you? Please..._ ”

Hurt her? _N’chow_ Thalmor! 

“ _I would never hurt you. Come to me,_ hla miluth _. Follow my voice, and I will follow yours. We will find each other, okay_?”

“ _Okay_ ,” she replied, though she had little hope, unable to see him. He sounded so close, but she would have seen him by now. She stood up and started walking towards the sound of his voice. 

“ _Reach out with your mind, Anise. Find me. You can do it._ ”

Anise did as he asked, closing her eyes, thinking about Teldryn, her _ata_. _He’s not dead, he’s not dead,_ she chanted in her mind. _He’s talking to me, so he’s not dead. That means he’s alive, right?_ She visualized Teldryn standing right next to her. As she thought of his form, she could see ripples of him breaking through in front of her eyes. Before she knew it, he was standing right in front of her, clutching her into an embrace.

“I knew you would find me, _hla miluth_ ,” he whispered, holding back the wave of emotions that hit him.

Anise held him tightly and sobbed as she had never cried before, gasping for breath. Her tears were making it hard for him to hold back his own, nearly breaking him. “I’m here, _hla miluth_. I’m here.”

“You died! You’re real, right? Please tell me you’re real. I... I’m so very lost!”

“I’m real. We are in your mind, but I had to find a way to come find you. I’m waiting for you. You are actually lying next to Ulfric in a camp on our way home.”

“Ulfric? No... no, that’s impossible. He... he doesn’t love me. He’s married to a Nord woman. They killed you! They killed _alma_! _Alma_... she... beat me. The Dunmer hate me! _Alma_ hates me! No, no, no... this isn’t real! You’re not real! You’re dead! Alkiirvur left me alone... I am alone! Everyone is dead... dead. You are all dead. Ulfric dead. Alduin wins... I’m dead! Dead... dead... dead... all dead! DEAD!” she cried out, rambling in her panic.

Anise screamed and struggled to get out of his grasp, but he held firm, knowing she was struggling with what was real or not. The Thalmor did quite a number on her mind, and he hoped she would eventually recover from it. _She may not._ The thought killed him almost as much as it would have had she died. She would lose a part of herself. Her positivity, her sense of humor, her smile. All that gone, perhaps forever.

“Anise!” he yelled to get her attention away from her ravings. “Look around you! There is nothing here. How can this place be real? I am real, _hla miluth,_ and I am waiting for you on the other side. I cannot show you until you calm down. You need to take my hand and follow me out. Please, _hla miluth_ … please trust me.”

Teldryn grasped her face in his hands and wiped away her tears as she looked at him in desperation. “Please, Anise. Trust me.”

She slowly nodded and quit struggling and grabbed his hand. Teldryn walked a distance, pulling her behind, but they weren’t going anywhere except out of her mind.

When Anise opened her eyes, it was evening, but she could see a small fire roaring, and next to it was her _ata_ looking down at her with glistening eyes. She could sense an arm around her, and someone pressed up against her back. Fear slammed her stomach as if it could punch her and scrambled over to Teldryn, burying her body, and face into him as close as possible. Anise would have melded into him if she could.

Ulfric was shocked at her abrupt movement as she fled to her father’s side. Excitement and relief were visible on his face that Teldryn could bring her out of it, quickly sitting up. _Why is she looking at me like that? So much fear in her eyes._ He swallowed hard, seeing how afraid she was of him.

She looked at Ulfric, then closed her eyes as she shook her head. She wasn’t sure if what she was seeing was real or not. _It can’t be real_... “No, no, no, no! You died... died... no... wait. You’re married, kids... not to me, not to me. Never to me. They told me you hate me, we never married... Stormcloaks killed my _ata, alma_! You love someone else. You died. Everyone died!” Anise ranted until she burst with tears, burying her face once more into her father. She didn’t realize her ravings made no sense.

Ulfric reached for her, but she pushed even tighter into Teldryn, cringing from his touch. “Not real, not real, not real, not real…” she chanted, eyes clamped tightly.

Ulfric looked at Teldryn expectantly, hoping he had some answers. 

“She is struggling with what is real or not right now. They must have planted several horrible visions in her, and she can’t tell the difference. She’s resistant to you, I believe it may be because she saw that you didn’t love her and married to someone else. This is what I gathered from her ravings. Then I think you died at one point, as did I, but at the hands of your Stormcloaks.”

“Then why isn’t she afraid of you if you died too?”

“I don’t know, maybe because I brought her back? She raved something about her mother beating her as well. I think her visions of you and her _alma_ were negative, but with me, I just died in front of her. I am safe.”

Ulfric reached out for her one more time. His need to hold his wife was a desperate one, but she cringed away from him once more. 

“You don’t love me... not love.”

“I love you, Ann... I love you,” he pleaded.

_Ann_... she remembered “Ann?” she whispered, but the memory quickly vanished.

Alkiirvur had watched the whole thing, afraid to speak up, wondering what her reaction would be, but he had to let her know they were reunited again.

“ _Dur gein_ , I am here as well. I tried to find you.”

Anise stood up, looking at the sky, pacing erratically. “You! You... you left me alone! All alone! I called and called, and you never came!” she cried out, fists in her hair. “You left me!”

Alkiirvur sensed her anger and despair. He had no control over what happened to her, and he tried to reach out to her. If she could calm down enough, he could patch some of her memories.

“Let me help. I can give memories back... give you what is real.”

“No! You left!” she wailed. “You left me... left me... left me…”

Anise was near hysterical, and Teldryn had no choice but to knock her back out as he cast a potent calming spell on her. He caught her before she could fall to the ground and laid her back on the bedroll with Ulfric. 

Ulfric did nothing to hide his pain and tears this time. It was too much. Memories of his own torture and loss hit him in the gut as he watched his wife rave and rant from her own torment. Her torture was purely mental, and he wasn’t sure how he could help her through this if she wouldn’t even let him near her. 

“I don’t know what to do,” he whispered, choking back a sob.

“You will do whatever it takes to show her you love her and bring her back is what you’re going to do! What do you mean you don’t know?! I heard you suffered once too, but dammit, she needs you, more than she needs me! You are going to bring my daughter home to love and dote on her until she knows you love her, and you’re real!” Teldryn didn’t mean to yell at the distraught man, but they had to get it together for her sake. 

“Alkiirvur, can you plant her memories back while she is sleeping? Make them more cohesive for her?” Teldryn wasn’t sure he could talk to the dragon while she was out, but he asked anyway since he spoke when she was passed out earlier.

“I will try,” was all he said. “It may take time. I not want to make her more confused too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: Anise slowly starts to recover.


	35. Lucidity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anise starts to regain some of herself once more thanks to Alkiirvur as she learns to distinguish reality from not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some attempt at fan art. I'm just not a fantasy artist. But here I tried to show Alkiirvur with Anise.

Ulfric and Teldryn only got a few hours of sleep before they headed out again, tossing and turning most of the night with worry over Anise. After they packed their gear, put out the fire, Ulfric tried to get Anise on the horse with him, but Teldryn stopped him.

“If she wakes up, she may get upset again as she did last night,” he explained to the larger man.

“I need her with me. She has to know I love her,” Ulfric said, looking at the mer with pleading and desperation in his eyes.

“And she will. For now, we need to ease her back into her old life. It will happen, Ulfric, but it’s going to take time. Let her ride with me for now.”

“You are going to keep her sedated, anyway. She won’t wake up. I have to have her with me.”

Teldryn nodded, giving in with reluctance, and cast his calming spell on his daughter once more for good measure as he helped her onto Ulfric’s horse.

During their travels, Ulfric adjusted her, held her tighter, kissed her head—anything to let her know he was there with her and loved her. He would mutter words of affection in her ear, hoping she could hear him. Both men rode their horses in silence as Anise slept and dreamed. 

Anise sat with her back against the large Eldergleam tree that appeared to grow in the middle of nowhere. Its soft pink blossoms spread out along its branches as it rained pink petals around her. It was a beautiful day as she relaxed, looking out over the meadow and towards the snowy, craggy mountains beyond. It was her special place. A place she used to dream about when she desperately wanted to get out of Windhelm. She had never seen the Eldergleam tree before but imagined its beauty. She hadn’t been here for a long time, but she found it once again. It was imaginary; she knew that much, but it was hers, and she loved it, bringing her peace and comfort.

She shut her eyes as she took in the day's warmth and soft breeze across her skin when she could sense darkness appear behind her eyelids, blocking out the light from Mundus. She looked before her, noticing a large flying dragon, hovering. If it were any other dragon, it would have terrified her, but she knew this one—her friend. 

Alkiirvur landed with ease in the thick grass covered in a variety of wildflowers and walked over on four legs towards her and sat down. He folded up his wings and curled his tail up along his large blue and white body.

“I’m still mad at you, you know,” she berated the dragon.

“I know. I am sorry and I tried everything to reach you,” he explained in his deep guttural voice. One could almost feel the rumble when he spoke.

“How did you find me?”

“I try something new to reach you in your mind. You have calm spell on you, and I would like to speak to you in a different way. The wizard before was strong and kept me from you. I did try.”

“I believe you. I should have known since you are in me, a part of me.” Regardless of what she believed or claimed, it still upset her as she wiped tears from her eyes. She got used to the dragon in her mind and soul. She was incomplete when they ripped him from her—alone and empty. 

“Yes, wizard not strong enough to remove me permanently. He try. Come, sit next to me, my _dur gein_. I want to talk about a gift I want you to have.”

Anise stood and walked away from the beautiful tree to sit next to Alkiirvur. She leaned her back up against his thigh which was as big as she was. He curled his tail around her with affection, almost in an embrace.

“I have never talked to you like this. It seems so real.”

“It is real in a way, just in your mind, but it is the only way we can be together physically,” the large dragon explained.

“What is this gift you want to give me?”

“Memories, _dur gein_. I want to give you your memories. I have held onto them and think it time you had back.”

“I have my memories and remember everything. I remember the lurkers, ash hoppers, cold darkness, death of my parents, not married to the Jarl of Windhelm. What a stupid girl I am. I remember a war, death, beatings—”

“Think about it, _dur gein_. How your mother die and come back to beat you, or your father die and come back to pull you out of your mind? How can Ulfric be dead when you just saw him and touch him?”

Anise thought about what Alkiirvur was telling her, her brow furrowed, lost in thought as she processed that information. She couldn’t explain why she was so calm when she vaguely remembered her ravings from before.

“Because it is beautiful and peaceful place, _dur gein_ ,” her dragon said, reading her mind. He was a part of her, after all.

She ran a hand through his hardened blue scales, and along his tail. “You think those weren’t genuine memories then?”

“They planted them in you. Not real. I can only give you that from time we met, but not yet. You need more time. Let us sit and enjoy view and be friends,” he said, lying down, curling his long neck on the ground. His head was on the ground, facing her as she ran a delicate hand along his snout.

Alkiirvur wanted to give her all her memories back, but he had to bide his time. He didn’t want to confuse her further, and he needed her to trust him again as well. So he would sit with her like this until she was ready for her first memory.

Ulfric and Teldryn didn’t bother stabling their horses as they rode through town. Ulfric had his hood over his head and cloak wrapped about him, hoping no one would recognize him. There were people who stared at the duo strangely, though, with the unconscious woman cradled with the larger man.

They got to the palace, and Ulfric carried Anise yelling out orders to staff. “And get Ingen immediately. Send her up to the largest spare room.”

The servants scrambled about to get food, drinks, prepare baths, and get rooms ready. Teldryn pulled aside a young servant boy and handed him a Septim. “Go to the Gray Quarter and find Ridena. Bring her here immediately.” He gave the boy directions on where to find Anise’s mother and rushed up to the living quarters to be by his daughter’s side. _There’s no point in keeping Ridena in the dark. She needs to be here for Anise_.

Teldryn reached the room where Ulfric put Anise in. It was the same room she was in when she came back from Solstheim sick. Ulfric was sitting by the bed, his head resting on her stomach as he held her hand. Teldryn wanted to be by his daughter’s side too, but felt he was intruding on the moment and went outside the room, leaning against the wall to wait for Ridena.

Ingen rushed in with a bucket of warm water and rags to clean up her mistress. “Out, my lord. It is time for me to clean her up, and she needs privacy,” she ordered. “There is food and drink waiting for you in your room. You look like you need rest as well.”

Ulfric almost yelled at the young girl for her daring to order him about, but he witnessed the concern in the girl’s eyes for his wife, holding back her tears, realizing she cared about her too. “Very well. If anything happens, please get me immediately.”

“Do you think you ready for memory, _dur gein_?” Alkiirvur asked. She was still lying down, head resting on his tail after they had taken a nap in the warm light of Mundus.

“I... I think so. Will it be scary?”

“This one is first I had with you. It will be a bit scary because happens during battle with Alduin,” he explained. “Will be little scary, but it is actual memory.”

Anise gave him a slight nod. “OK. I guess you can give it to me.”

“Do not be afraid, _dur gein_. I am here with you. We share same memories.”

Anise just nodded again at the dragon, holding his tail tightly.

“Close your eyes, and I will give to you.”

Anise closed her eyes as she was told, focusing on her breathing as she tried not to be scared. So many terrifying thoughts ran through her mind, not knowing which ones were real or not. 

Her closed eyes fluttered as she watched her body almost being executed when she looked up to see a great black dragon talking to her in dragon language. She looked at her hands, confused. “That is when I awoke in you, _dur gein_ ,” Alkiirvur explained. “I woke when Alduin return. It not last long when you came back.”

Anise ran with other soldiers, and there was Ulfric, but she was resistant to being with Stormcloaks. She did not like them. Her heart is pounding as she runs for her life away from the dragon. It was a terrifying scene experiencing Helgen again, but it felt real to her; more real than her other, more recent memories. “This is before I knew you were in me, right? We escape Helgen, and I... Ulfric is with me?”

“Yes, you remember now?”

“I remember Helgen. I... I am unsure about the rest. It’s vague, like looking through thick fog only to see silhouettes in the distance.”

“I will give more memory in time. Remember what I give you and replay in head. It is the real memory.”

“I will. Thank you, Alkiirvur.”

“Sleep now or you can wake up if you wish. Your family is with you in your home.”

After Ulfric ate and napped, he headed back to check on Anise. She was curled up on her side, still sleeping, clean, and dressed in a shift as her mother read out loud to her. “Why is she still asleep? Shouldn’t the calming spell be worn off by now?”

“It has worn off. She is just sleeping normally,” Teldryn informed him, who was leaning against a wall across the room. Ulfric didn’t even notice the man when he came in.

“Can we talk to Alkiirvur about how she is doing?” asked Ulfric to Teldryn.

Teldryn nodded. “Ask... I’m sure he will respond to you though she is still sleeping.”

Ulfric sat on the bed and grabbed Anise’s hand. “Are you there, Alkiirvur?”

“I am here.”

“How is she? How is her mind?”

“She is in happy, calm place with flowers and warmth. I am with her, and we sit together and talk. I give her one memory, and she does OK with it.”

“You... you think she will be OK?”

“Yes, she will eventually remember and be fine. She will still suffer pain. That will not go away,” the dragon responded. “She is waking now.”

All three stood in anticipation of her waking up, unsure how she was going to react. As her eyes fluttered open, they moved about the room and then focused on the three people watching over her. Her eyes went from drowsy to curious to uncertainty, then fear.

Anise jumped from the bed and scrambled to a corner of the room, knees drawn up protectively. “Dead... you are all dead. Dead! Not real, not real, not real!” she yelled out, hands over eyes.

“Yes, real, _dur gein_. Your _ata_ and _alma_ here. Your Ulfric, husband here. All real,” Alkiirvur explained, using Anise’s voice. “I tell you... remember? They wait, you wake. Remember, _dur gein_.”

“Why did you beat me, _alma_! I thought you loved me!” Anise wailed, struggling to comprehend what she was seeing as real, but the pain inflicted upon her mind was too real to her.

Ridena wept at her _julikal_. “I would never hurt you, _yi daelha_. Never! I have never raised a hand to you and I never will. You know this!”

Anise looked at her _alma_ wearily, wanting the woman’s words to be true. Anise was so confused, but she tried to calm herself. She was lucid enough to realize her panic attacks were not helping her. She needed to calm down, breathe, and figure things out.

“Yes, _dur gein_... calm.”

She watched all the people in her life, weeping or trying to control their tears. She was scaring them as much as they were scaring her. Looking at Ulfric... _husband? Not dead?_ He had a look of desperation, body poised to reach out for her if she needed it. “I... I, uhm, need to be alone right now. Please. _Alma,_ go home with _ata_ , please. I... I need time. Ul... Ulfric, please.”

“You send someone to us if you need us, promise?” Ridena asked, respecting her daughter’s wishes.

Anise just nodded as she watched her parents leave. Ulfric did not want to leave her side at all, so she looked at him pleadingly. “Please, Ulfric. I... I need to clear my mind. It is hard with you all here. I... I can tell you’re in pain, but I’m trying to understand.”

Ulfric nodded as he relented and left her. When he reached his room, he tried to still his emotions, but the rage got the better of him as he grabbed the closest thing to him and threw it against the wall, yelling as it shattered.

_She and Ulfric were dancing, laughing, holding each other close on their wedding day. It was one of the happiest moments of her life_ — _a perfect day. They would rest a bit from dancing, sitting together in the large throne chairs, watching everyone dance and have a good time. He held her hand, kissing it, telling her he loved her._

_There was a grand feast full of assorted foods and desserts. Anise ate so much and was so full, but she couldn’t resist the tasty desserts while Ulfric watched, laughing at her love of sweets, stuffing her face with little grace. She was pleased they made food to bring out to the poorer people of Windhelm with music and drink so they could feel a part of the celebration as well._

_Anise never laughed so much that day. Then the party was over as they headed up to his room... their room to make love. The tender touches, his eyes filled with love for her. She loved kissing him and wanted so much to give him pleasure, and she did._

It had been three days as Alkiirvur spent time with her in her mind, slowly giving back her memories. Each time she woke up, she was relieved to find nothing had changed. She was still in the same place every time. The stability of the location and return of her memories helped to tell her mind what was real.

In those three days, she had grown closer to Ingen, who remained at her side the entire time. The girl had even taken to sleeping on the floor by the fire, never to leave her mistress’ side. Anise could handle Ingen there all the time as the girl not once was in her nightmares, or visions, or whatever they were. 

Anise looked at the girl rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and getting up off the floor. “You don’t need to sleep here, Ingen. That cannot be comfortable.”

“Oh, it’s not any more uncomfortable than my own bed of hardwood and hay. At least here I can lie on furs, and it’s warm by the fire,” the girl explained, waving away Anise’s worry.

“Why do you stay? You don’t have to.”

“I know I don’t, but I want to. We all worry about you, and I... I have grown fond of you, and want to make sure I properly take care of you.”

Anise reached her hand out to the girl, showing she wanted her to come over. Ingen came to the bed and grabbed Anise’s hand as she sat down next to the Jarl’s wife. “Are you hungry, my lady?”

Anise shook her head. “No, but I am tired of lying about. How is my... uhm, how is Ulfric?”

“He always tries to see you as much as he can. He secretly comes in when you are sleeping, afraid you will kick him out again. But he weeps, but he thinks I do not see. He loves you so much.”

“I love him too... I... I think. It still doesn’t feel entirely real. I remember our wedding and making love to him.”

Ingen blushed a bit at her lady’s admission, never having sexual relations with a man herself. “You remember then? I’m sure my lord would love to see you awake, ma’am. Would you allow him to see you yet? He misses you.”

“I suppose it's time, but first I think I need to get cleaned up and perhaps put on something nicer than a shift. Can you help me?”

“Of course!” Ingen said, excited to see her lady wanting to clean up and see her husband finally.

There was a light knock on Ulfric’s bedroom door, and he wondered if he was sure he even heard it, but he opened it just in case. He looked down and standing before him was the small Nord girl who had been watching over Anise. Her red hair spilling out of her cap as she curtsied. “Excuse me, my lord. I am sorry to bother you, but my lady has sent me to get you. She wishes to see you.”

Ulfric didn’t have to be told twice as he blew by the young woman without a word and straight to his wife’s room. When he reached her door, instead of just walking in, he knocked.

“Come in,” he heard his wife say.

When he walked in, seeing her in a beautiful dress, her growing hair was pulled back with braids woven in as she sat by the fire looking better than he had seen her since they found her. He just stood there staring at her as a variety of emotions course through him. When Anise held out her hand to him, he came rushing towards his wife and landed hard on his knees in front of her. He put his head in her lap, grabbing her thighs, and wept the flood of emotions that raged in him for so long.

Anise ran a delicate hand through his soft blonde hair, weeping herself in silence, lip quivering. “Yes, you’re alive... alive. You love me, right? Yes? My husband?” She saw him nod yes in her lap, weeping, body shaking, unable to speak. “Alkiirvur gave me my memory of our marriage and wedding night this morning. I... I remember. It was a good day. A happy memory. I knew, but I wasn’t sure it was real.”

Ulfric finally looked up at her, no longer caring about hiding his emotions. “Yes, it was the happiest of days. I love you so much.”

“Yes, I love you too,” she said, weeping still, but it was one of happiness. She wiped away his tears from his face, hating to see him in such pain.

Ingen watched the whole thing from the doorway, crying herself at the reunion of husband and wife. She dreamed of a day she would love as they did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Next: It's time to negotiate with the Imperials.


	36. Negotiations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Anise recovers, negotiations can no longer wait as they travel to High Hrothgar to finally end the war.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!! <3
> 
> Some NSFW Content.

Anise woke up screaming, weeping as she curled fetally in the bed. Warm hands engulfed her and pulled her in close, holding her and stroking her hair as she wept. She was tired of the nightmares, wondering if they would ever go away. It had been almost a month as she recovered mentally as her genuine memories returned to her thanks to Alkiirvur. The planted ones faded away, but not gone entirely.

“It’s going to take a while for the nightmares to go away, Ann,” Ulfric explained to her, who had extensive experience with them, his voice soft and soothing. “I still get them now and again, but they will lessen with time.”

“It’s not only the nightmares. It’s... I just don’t… I don’t feel complete as if I’m not myself anymore. I... I have not drawn in a long time, I can’t remember what it feels like to laugh—”

“I’m sorry. All I can promise you is that it will get better. How long it takes depends on you. We all suffer differently.”

Anise rolled over to face him to be closer. One thing that helped through all this was that they still loved each other, and he was real. If anyone understood what she went through, it was Ulfric. At least she had someone who could relate with.

Her husband wiped away her tears and kissed her forehead. “I understand you are still struggling, but we need to meet General Tullius soon. The Graybeards agreed to let us use High Hrothgar for negotiations, and I just can’t put this off anymore. My people are getting impatient, and who knows when the Thalmor will attack again, and they will, if just to keep stirring up the violence in Skyrim. I have all the evidence I need and hold most of the cards for a peace treaty, and to bring Talos back to my people. I would like you there. Not just as my wife, but as the Dragonborn. Do you think you will be up to it? The meeting is next week.”

Anise nodded. “I think so. Yes, we need to do this. It's time. At least I can return that damned horn. It’s only been eight months now,” she with her usual flair for sarcasm. Old Anise—the Anise before the Thalmor, would make a great joke at her expense, but her comment only came off as bitter.

“I’m glad, love. We can bring Ingen if you like. She brings you comfort.”

Anise nodded once more. “I feel so mentally weak. I’m not sure what to do about Alduin and the Dragonborn business. It seems I am completely incapable, and I’m going to let everyone down. If I face him, I will die and fail. I don’t know what to do and so afraid all the time.”

Ulfric just held her tighter, not knowing what to say about that. He could relate to the torturing, but he couldn’t even imagine having that sort of destiny before him back when he was broken. He would have felt like a failure as well, not wanting to go on. All he could do was let her know he loved her.

The carriage ride through the Eastmarch road was bumpy and rough, but it was covered and private. Anise hid away in the carriage with Ingen by her side, her head resting on the girl’s shoulder, trying to nap. The two women grew to be close friends rather than mistress and servant.

Ulfric was riding Magni, instead of inside the carriage, to help keep his wife protected from outside dangers. He requested Teldryn to tag along to help be by her side and an extra pair of eyes despite having a retinue of soldiers.

It took three days to get to Ivarstead. Instead of renting rooms at the Inn, they all camped just outside of the town. A large tent was set up for Ulfric and his wife to sleep comfortably, with Ingen by her side, and the rest stayed in smaller tents. In the morning, they would all walk up the Seven Thousand Steps to High Hrothgar.

While Ulfric talked to his soldiers about the plan and about life in general, Anise stayed curled up on her thick pile of furs on the ground. She was cold, but she didn’t want to be out there sitting by the fire in front of everyone, afraid they would all stare at her. Though she enjoyed the soft lute sounds from the bard who traveled with them. 

Before the Thalmor attacked Anise, it would have just been Ulfric and she alone, perhaps with her _ata_ too as they made their way to High Hrothgar. But Ulfric was afraid they would retake her and wanted to take every precaution to keep that from happening again.

Ulfric came into the tent later that evening as the soldiers dispersed and headed to sleep. Anise laid in the soft furs, and Ingen was sleeping off to the side in her bedroll. He crawled in and lay beside her, seeing that she was still awake.

“Trouble sleeping?” he asked.

“I don’t like to sleep,” she whispered.

“I used to hate to sleep too back then. I can help you with it if you let me,” he offered quietly so Ingen couldn’t hear.

“How?”

Ulfric leaned in to give his wife a tender kiss as he slid a hand underneath her shift. She was resistant at first, knowing what he was about to do. “I... I’m not sure.”

“I will stop then. I just wanted to give you something to help you sleep. That is all.”

“You think it will help?”

Ulfric laughed lightly under his breath. “Honestly, I don’t know, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt. I just know I am very relaxed and sleep relatively well after.”

“Okay then. I guess.”

“Not unless you are sure, Ann.”

“It’s fine.”

He remembered he didn’t like being touched for a long time after his own torture. He understood what she was going through, but if a woman ever tried to comfort him and please him when he suffered at night, perhaps he would have turned out differently. Maybe he would have recovered sooner if they loved him, but that was no one’s fault but his own since he pushed everyone away.

Ulfric slid his hand underneath her shift once more, caressing her thighs, and ran gentle fingers along her skin. He then slipped a finger inside of her and found she was dry. It didn’t surprise him she was this way. It would take her a while to get aroused again, confident he could do it. 

He pressed his lips to hers once more as he pulled the covers on top of them so he could pull her shift down to expose a breast. He trailed kisses down her chest, first kissing her nipple then ran a slight tongue around as it hardened. That was what he wanted as he moved his hand between her legs once more.

Instead of inserting his fingers inside of her, he ran a gentle finger around her bud to stimulate her. It only took a moment before the wetness appeared, spreading her moisture onto her bud as fingers glided smoothly along the sensitive skin.

As he nibbled her breast, he picked up the pressure and speed on her bud and fingering her. A quiet moan escaped her lips while she gyrated into his hand. She was getting close. He pressed his lips to hers once more, inserting his tongue into her mouth. It was in part to be close to her as she exploded, but also to keep her moans quiet, knowing she could be loud sometimes.

Her bud swelled under his fingertips as the hood lifted in her explosion, her intense pulses beat against his hand. She moaned loudly in his mouth as she rode the wave. Once she finished, tears trickled out of her eyes. All the emotions that overwhelmed her, combined with the intense orgasm, spilled over, and she couldn’t hold the tears back.

“That was supposed to make you feel better, sweetheart.”

“It did. Sometimes orgasms can drive up the emotions in me, and I am not the most stable lately. Thank you for that.”

Ulfric was right. She grew sleepy as she curled up into her husband and soon drifted off to sleep.

Though they tried to be quiet, for her sake, Ingen heard everything. She sensed the heat creep up her face straight to her ears as she listened to every caught breath, heavy panting, and moan. She tried to cover her head in her bedroll, but there wasn’t much to drown out the sounds. Ingen didn’t hate it, but being there was intruding on them somehow. Once it grew quiet, she could finally fall asleep.

Everyone was up early to get ready for the long hike up the steps to the top of the mountain. Anise put on her leather armor as a dress was impractical for that long of a walk. Ingen had been fixing up her hair into braids and a small bun since it wasn’t quite long enough, but the hair would be out of her face.

“What’s it like?” Ingen asked out of the blue.

Anise took a long sip of hot Telvani tea to wake her up, wondering what Ingen was talking about. “What is what like, Ingen?”

“Well... uhm... I,” Ingen stammered, blushing. 

Anise couldn’t see the girl but could tell by the sound of her voice, that something was embarrassing her. “You mean sex?”

“Oh, Gods! Yes... I’m so embarrassed... I’m sorry, I... I shouldn’t have asked.”

Anise gave her a small smile for the first time in a long while. “You want to know about sex? You’ve never had it, I take it?”

“No, ma’am.”

“Anise. We are friends, Ingen.”

“Sorry, I get formal when I get flustered, but yes, I want to know... about _it_ ,” she whispered out the last part in case anyone could hear.

“Well, it depends on what you are doing specifically. The first time, it can be... uncomfortable, but you get used to it, then it can become quite enjoyable. A lot also depends on your partner. If he doesn’t care, then you won’t enjoy it. The same holds true for you. If you don’t enjoy it, you won’t be able to please him well.”

Ingen put her hands to her face to hide her bright crimson cheeks. “But what does it _feel_ like?”

“Oh, well, now you’re asking something much harder to describe. Hmm, how can I explain it? It is like you get this warmth spread through your body, a good warmth as your face flushes, then it moves to the center between your legs. You feel this... pressure there. Your heart rate speeds up, as does your breathing. If your partner knows what he’s doing, he will touch you in a sensitive spot that, after a while, it will trigger an orgasm. It is an intense feeling that leaves you... content, gratified, happy, sad, tired, numb... all at the same time.”

“How do I know when... he... uhm, knows the right... ah, spot?”

“Oh, you will know. Ingen, don’t you... touch yourself down there?”

Ingen felt like her brain would melt with all the heat to her face. “I, no... my mother said it was... bad.”

“Why would she say such a thing?”

“I’m not sure... it’s all she told me. Sex is bad. It’s all I’ve ever known, but I’m still very young. But I heard you and my lord last night. I tried to hide the sound. I didn’t want to listen and invade your privacy, but…”

It was Anise’s turn to blush. “Oh, you heard that? No wonder all the questions. Sorry, we tried to be quiet. The Jarl was trying to... help me sleep. Anyway, it’s okay. Uhm, well, it’s not dirty, and there is nothing wrong with it. It is okay to want pleasure, Ingen. My husband is... good at pleasing me, and there is nothing wrong with that. One day you will marry, and if you have a good intimate connection with your husband, it will make both of your lives that much better.”

“Oh, that is a relief. I... I would rather have pleasure than be guilty and hate myself for having that sort of relationship with my husband. Thank you, Anise, for your advice and for answering my question.”

“Anytime, Ingen. We are friends.”

It took until the afternoon to reach High Hrothgar. They were running late, but Ulfric didn’t worry about it affecting the proceedings. He held Anise’s hand the entire way, helping her through some more difficult steps as she continuously tripped. Her clumsiness never entirely left her, despite all the training and balance she learned from Teldryn. But she grew worse during her recovery.

Once they reached inside High Hrothgar, Angier greeted them. “Welcome, Dragonborn. Welcome, Ulfric Stormcloak.”

“Thank you for allowing this, Angier,” Anise said with respect as Ulfric gave a slight head bow at the older man.

“This way, if you please.” Angier led Ulfric, Anise, and Teldryn to the large dining room, finding the Imperials already seated and waiting. Teldryn walked onward to lean against the wall and watch the entire proceedings. His only concern was his daughter’s safety.

Anise stopped dead in her tracks as she saw the High Elf female. “You! NO! No, no, no, no, no!!! You can’t be here!” she screamed, pulling out her dagger to kill the woman, lunging at her before someone held her back. “Who let you in here!!”

Ulfric, surprised by his wife’s outburst, suddenly understood. _Elenwen... I should let my wife just gut her_. He watched the Thalmor Ambassador sit there with a smug look on her face, seemingly unconcerned with Anise’s reaction.

Teldryn, sword drawn, did not understand what was going on or why his daughter was reacting to the Altmer so aggressively. He soon realized that the woman was most likely involved in his daughter’s torture.

“Sheogorath, take you! Were you involved in my _julikal’s_ torture?! Answer me!”

“By Ysmir! What is that woman doing here?! I did not invite the Thalmor to these proceedings!” Ulfric exclaimed as he held his struggling wife to keep her from killing the Altmer.

Legate Rikka, Tullius’ Chief Lieutenant abruptly stood, sword drawn. “What is the meaning of this! I thought we were here for negotiations only to find the Dragonborn trying to kill the Ambassador! Ulfric, we used to be friends once, but you changed. I realized you were low, but not this low.” 

“Let me go! It’s her! Her! Her order that sent them! They tried to kill me! Let me go!!” Anise kept wailing.

“You see how crazy these Stormcloaks are, General Tullius? Do you see how they hate us for no reason other than trying to restore order to their war-torn country? They just want to kill with no regard for life,” Elenwen explained, her face full of feigned concern, but her golden eyes betrayed the glee she felt over their reaction to her, giving her the upper hand.

“Stop your lies, Thalmor! We came here for peace, and all you are is a torturer and killer! You killed my lover, you tortured me for years... you... you had my wife tortured just so I would continue with the war!” Ulfric yelled out, almost ready to kill her himself.

Elenwen ignored Ulfric, looking at the General once more, nose held high in her arrogance, her golden skin almost shimmering in the candlelight. “You see? They are trying to frame me for things I was never involved in. I don’t even understand what they are talking about.”

Ulfric had to calm his emotions and calm his wife as well, or else he won’t be able to prove anything. “Teldryn, please take her and make sure she doesn’t... kill anyone. Angier, do you have some tea you can give her?”

The entire scene shocked Arngier, yet silent at the outbursts. He nodded, relieved to get away from them as he took the two Dunmer to get some tea.

Once his wife left, still screaming for Elenwen’s death, he tried to calm his own raw emotions. It was hard to do with his very torturer in front of him. He took a deep breath as he addressed the room with a controlled calmness and looked at General Tullius. The older man had been calm and silent through the whole thing, gray hair in every proper place, but his intelligent eyes not once missed a thing. 

He stood at the head of the table as Ulfric pulled out several scrolls and his dossier from his pack and laid them on the table. “There is proof that Elenwen, the Thalmor Ambassador, has no love for this country or the people in Skyrim. She needs to be removed from these proceedings immediately. She needs no more ammunition against us. I will not continue until she is gone. Do we not both want peace and an end to the war, General?”

General Tullius looked at the immense Nord, scrutinizing, and realized there was no need for the Thalmor woman to be there. He didn’t even want her coming to the negotiations in the first place, but she had insisted. “Very well. Elenwen, I respectfully ask you to leave. We would like to end the war, and it is clear that it will not happen with you here. You are disrupting these proceedings.”

Elenwen scowled at the older Imperial. “You are making a big mistake by denying me a voice here today.”

“Your voice is disruptive, as you can see. Again, I respectfully ask you to leave so we may continue.”

Elenwen abruptly stood and left High Hrothgar, now on the outside of vital information. She was so confident that she could attend that she didn’t send spies. 

Ulfric looked at the man gratefully. “Thank you, General. I apologize for all the outbursts. It was not a good start to the negotiations, but my wife… the Thalmor recently tortured her, and she... suffers.”

“I am sorry about your wife, the Dragonborn, but do you have proof of this? Whether or not I like it, the Thalmor are our allies, and I just made an enemy of the Ambassador right then, so it better be good.”

The Jarl brought over his dossier Anise found at the Embassy along with the scrolls found in Rulindil’s possession at the abandoned prison when they rescued Anise.

Ulfric sat back down and watched the man read all the documents before him. He could see the General pale, and his expression hardened the more he read. “Why am I even surprised? I wondered if the Thalmor wanted the war to continue when they tried to talk me out of executing you. Now I realize they just wanted the war to continue—to weaken Skyrim. By the Eight. And the capture of the Imperial City blamed on you. I cannot even... the guilt you must have.”

The sudden change of heart from her commander appalled Rikke. “Sir, we cannot trust Ulfric! He is a usurper and power-hungry!” Tullius handed Rikke the dossier for her to read. As she looked over it, she realized her old friend from when they were in the Legion together had suffered. The Thalmor brutally tortured him for two years. _No wonder he changed so much. I never knew_.

Ulfric ignored Rikke. He already believed she despised him. “It was worse than you realize. Elenwen also killed my first love in front of me—tortured her. Then she dared with my wife, to turn me against the Imperials. It’s clear she wanted to blame my wife’s death on you. My wife, the Dragonborn, suffers, and struggles. They... she is, well... not the same person she used to be. The damage they inflicted upon her may very well prevent my wife from her destiny. We may yet all die anyway despite these negotiations today.”

Everyone could hear the loud and frustrated sigh coming from General Tullius. “What would you have me do? What was your original plan before they captured your wife?”

Before he could answer, Anise came back with Teldryn close behind her, both of them now calm. She sat down next to her husband, and Teldryn took his usual spot of leaning and watching in a far corner of the room. It was clear she had been crying, eyes swollen and nose red despite her dark skin. “I apologize for my outburst. I…” her lip quivered as all the painful memories she tried to neatly store away came back when they saw Elenwen, the very woman who ordered her torture and death.

“No need, my lady,” Tullius waved. “I see everything clearly now. It is understandable, your reaction. I am glad you are alive and relatively okay. Please proceed, Jarl Ulfric. Tell me about your intentions.”

“What I would like is an end to this war, but I cannot just end it without something to give my people. They won't die for nothing. I would like the right to worship our god once more without fear of torture and death. The Nords have a right to worship what god they choose, even if that is Talos. I’ve received several reports of the Thalmor attacking, killing, kidnapping, torturing people who caught worshiping at Talos shrines. I was betrayed once before with promises of Talos worship only to have it taken away, and I won’t deal with it again.”

Ulfric pinched the bridge of his nose, already sensing a headache coming on after the unexpected arrival of the Ambassador.

“Reinstate Talos’ belief and help protect my people when they pray, and I will... give up my rights to the throne and fight alongside you against the Thalmor. You will have me and my entire army at your side. They are the enemy, and we will be at war with them eventually,” Ulfric continued.

General Tullius took a deliberately long time to sort through what Ulfric offered. He wasn’t trying to stall, but he wanted to make sure he could see all the pros and cons of such an offer and to see if he had his own counteroffers. “You will let Jarl Elisif become High Queen? You will not object? I am sorry, but I struggle to believe that.”

“You killed her husband, Ulfric,” Rikke reminded him as if he had forgotten.

“That may have been true before I met the Dragonborn, and who has also opened my eyes to quite a few other things. She is the one who uncovered the plot behind my torture by the Thalmor. While I do not believe Elisif to be strong or... intelligent enough to rule Skyrim, I am hoping we can negotiate to bring someone in who can... advise her. She will need help against the Thalmor. If Elisif is to rule all of Skyrim, she is going to need to support _all_ of her people, not just Imperials. 

She will never forgive me for killing her husband, but my challenge was just and the true Nord way. People believe I killed him with a shout. I did not, and I am quite capable of fighting with a sword alone. I set out to prove he was a weak ruler, and he wouldn’t be able to defend Skyrim. It matters not if anyone believes me. My primary concern now is the Thalmor, but I cannot fight that war alone, and I cannot end the Civil War until I bring Talos back to my people.”

Tullius was of the same mind. He knew the Thalmor were the biggest threat, and they possibly instigated the Civil War, but he always took Ulfric for an opportunist. He always understood why the Nords were upset with the loss of their god, but he didn’t trust Ulfric to do right by his people. Even him marrying a Dunmer woman was surprising, even if she was the Dragonborn. _Perhaps I was wrong_.

“If you give up your claim to being High King, will you sign a decree indicating as much? You will never seek to be King as long as you live?”

“As long as I live,” Ulfric agreed.

“If I may be so bold. The Nords would never accept me as High Queen being a Dunmer. You can trust my husband that he will never seek to be King,” Anise said, speaking up in her husband’s defense.

The older Imperial looked at the Dark Elf and wondered how much she was involved in the change in Ulfric. There was a lot of love there, and he was sure the woman had a significant impact on what was going on at these negotiations. Love being the reason to end a war was as good as any. Whatever the reason, he would be happy to finally end the war as it spread the Imperials thin. They would need extra military help from the Stormcloaks. “What about your soldiers, Jarl Ulfric? Will they be willing to fight alongside the Imperials?”

“You can’t be serious,” Rikke suddenly burst out, realizing that Tullius was going to agree to Ulfric’s terms.

“Silence, Rikke. I appreciate your concern, but we have bigger things to worry about. Let’s end this war and prepare for a new one,” General Tullius reprimanded his Legate, then nodded at Ulfric to continue.

“Some will resist. We fought with the Imperials once, and Nords believed they were betrayed with the White-Gold Concordat. That is why we need Talos. It isn’t just because we have a right to worship what god we wish, but my people are fighting for Talos, and the only way to get them to fight with you again is if you bring our god back to the Nords.”

“Very well. When I get back to Solitude, I will reach out to my superiors and see what we can do about the Thalmor and Talos. With the evidence you have brought before me, I think I can convince them. Give me time, and I will arrange for another meeting to sign treaties. Do we have an agreement to keep the peace until then?”

“We are agreed,” Ulfric said, shaking hands with the man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: Anise finds something to live for once more.


	37. A Healing Mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anise is finally on the road to recovery once she finally can push back through her fear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW Content.
> 
> Thanks for reading!

After climbing down from High Hrothgar and camping one more night near Ivarstead, Ulfric and his caravan packed up to head back to Windhelm. Anise rode in the carriage once more, staring out the small window, lost in thought. She felt ridiculous riding in such a thing, used to walking, barely knowing how to ride a horse. She hadn’t even ridden or seen Baan since the Thalmor captured her. _I need to ride her more and get her out. Trapped in her stall can’t make her happy._

“ _You miss your old self?_ ” Alkiirvur asked though it was more of a statement.

“ _Yes. I don’t like this... the way I am, but I don’t know what to do about it_.”

“ _We cannot defeat Alduin, you afraid_.”

“ _Do you think I don’t know that?!_ ” Anise snapped at the dragon in her mind. “ _It’s not just fear, but this strange depression has set in my mind... my heart._ ”

“ _I think you will have no choice_.”

“ _I know. It’s most likely going to kill me_.”

“ _Maybe. You die, I go to my body once more and live_.”

“ _You get to return to your body? I’m surprised you haven’t flown me off a cliff to kill me then._ ” Anise meant that in jest, but it ran flat.

“ _I need defeat Alduin. He is more important than my body. I must not disappoint Akatosh. I also like you. You are friend,_ dur gein _,"_ Alkiirvur explained.

“ _I like you too_.”

“ _Perhaps_ …” Alkiirvur had a suggestion, but he wasn’t sure she was going to like the idea.

“ _Perhaps what?_ ” Anise asked, curious to see if he had an idea to help her through all this.

“ _Perhaps you let me control you. I fight him. I think I am used to your body and can try if you afraid_.”

“ _You think that would work? What if I am afraid in my head, and it causes you to hesitate?_ ”

“ _You can go to tree_.”

“ _Tree? You mean our meadow we have been spending time in, together?_ ”

“ _Yes._ ”

Anise reflected on what he was telling her. Alkiirvur suggested he take over her body entirely to fight Alduin. It was something she would like, shutting out from the world around her, not knowing fear. As she thought about it, the less she liked the idea. She was already feeling out of control, and that would just make it worse. Anise didn’t want to spiral and completely lose herself.

“ _No. You can use my body if I cannot do it, but I don’t want to lose myself any more than I already have. I’m afraid to spend too much time in the meadow_ — _afraid I won’t want to come back_.”

“ _I understand. We do together?”_

“ _OK, Alkiirvur… together. Thank you. At least I learned two new shouts and returned that stupid horn.”_

A loud roar tore Anise out of her conversation with Alkiirvur as she felt Ingen cling to her arm. _No, not now! I can’t do this!_ Anise panicked, sensing the crippling fear in the pit of her stomach.

“ _Breathe,_ dur gein.”

Anise slowly inhaled and exhaled as she tried to calm her panic and anxiety. She sensed the carriage come to a halt and heard the soldiers getting ready for a battle, and Ulfric yelling out orders.

She glanced out the carriage window, watching Ulfric ride his horse towards her. When he approached, he issued orders to the carriage driver to bring Anise and Ingen somewhere else safe. “Ann, please go. We will handle the dragon. You aren’t…” He didn’t want to say it, but he understood she was not ready to face the very thing she was created for. He could see the fear in her eyes.

“No, I... I have to. It’s my…”

“Ann, please. I love you, but your panic could get you killed. I can’t lose you.” Her panic would also get others killed.

Anise wanted to listen to him and do what he said, but she had to face it. She had no choice. 

“No,” she said, much firmer this time, and stepped out of the carriage with her bow in hand, ready to face the dragon.

Ulfric watched his wife get out of the carriage. It terrified him he would lose her, but he would not stop her. He nodded to the carriage driver to take Ingen somewhere safe.

“ _Let me take over_ , dur gein.”

“ _Not yet. Let me... try_.”

Anise’s body trembled, feeling the fear tingle through her spine as the dragon flew overhead. It hadn’t attacked yet, but it was inevitable. She readied her bow and nocked an arrow, but it shook so much she could barely hold it up straight. She wanted to cover her ears as it roared when it flew by. The sound and terror wrapped around her heart, making the fear palpable.

She wasn’t the only one afraid as the guards looked to her for guidance. They watched her kill a dragon once before, but she showed no fear last time. Her fright was fueling theirs. They didn’t understand the change in her, not knowing what happened with the Thalmor. _Breathe, Anise_.

The dragon flew by once more, incinerating the ground with fire this time. It was red and orange, and Anise would have found it beautiful were it not trying to kill them all. As it flew by, she took aim with her bow, but the shot went wild.

“ _Let me do this,_ dur gein!”

“ _B’vehk!_ No! I need to do this,” she yelled at Alkiirvur out loud.

The fire dragon grew weak from the all the arrows penetrating its thick skin, landed hard on the ground. Despite it being tired, it was fast as it snapped and snarled at the soldiers trying to attack it with swords. It grabbed one soldier by its massive maw, clamped down, mauling the man’s body, and flung him to the ground, dead. The soldiers backed up slowly from fear.

“Do not be afraid! It is tiring! Keep attacking and wear it down! We can do this! We can kill it!” Ulfric yelled at his soldiers to bolster their confidence and not flee. He understood if his wife were well mentally, she would be there to help kill it and keep the soldiers motivated. But she wasn’t well. He pushed down his worry. It wasn’t the time for such thoughts.

Teldryn bombarded the dragon with electricity and ice. He was more familiar with fire, so his spells were not as strong. Then, he unsheathed his sword and danced around the dragon, hacking and stabbing it where he could.

Anise watched as it killed the soldiers off one by one, or flung them away with a swish of its tail. Some were burned, cooking in their armor. She struggled not to cover her ears to their painful screams, which did nothing to calm her. Her heart threatened to burst through her chest, and the smell of burned flesh made her want to retch. She struggled to get a good grip on her bow with her sweaty hands. Anise was virtually paralyzed as she watched the surrounding horror.

Ulfric leaped off his horse and charged the beast, his great-ax ready as he hacked at its legs. “Take it down by its legs! Bring it down!” he ordered. The dragon shook its leg away, roaring in pain, and bleeding from the powerful blows Ulfric dealt. It was ready to cook Ulfric as he took another swing at the dragon. Before he sliced at it one more time, it hopped back and grabbed Ulfric by its powerful jaws, and flung him against a cliffside.

Time stood still as Anise watched in horror as her husband was crushed and flung, unmoving. “No!” she yelled. Her injured husband spurred her into action. All she could think about at that moment was Ulfric. As she ran towards the dragon, fear gone, she watched the soldiers flee in terror, seeing their Jarl crushed. Anise used her Battle Fury shout Alkiirvur taught her to give the soldiers courage and make them fight harder as she rushed to check on Ulfric. 

She used a healing hand on her husband, praying to Azura that he wasn’t dead. She nearly wept to hear him moan, knowing he was alive. The dragon would not wait for her to finish as it blasted fire at the _dovahkiin_. Anise was ready with her strongest ward to protect her and Ulfric from its flames, but feeling the heat along her skin. With her other hand, she continued to heal him as the fire threatened to burn her flesh.

Anise could do no more, blasting the creature with Alkiirvur’s ice form shout, freezing the dragon in place. No longer afraid, angry tears in her eyes, she sliced and hacked at it with all the strength she could muster. The soldiers now hardened with her shout and confidence, watching her finally stand up against the beast, they attacked with greater fervor. She climbed up the dragon, screaming as she plunged her sword into its head and leaped off before it landed on the ground dead.

With only thoughts of Ulfric, she rushed back to him, removing his armor, and checked the damage properly while she absorbed the dragon's soul. But she didn’t have to worry as Teldryn was already at Ulfric’s side removing armor and healing his son-in-law. Anise heard Ulfric groan as bones were reset and wounds stitched back together. 

The soldiers behind her who remained alive from the battle were quiet as they watched their leader get healed. They soon erupted into cheers and claps as Ulfric stood weakly, though very much alive. Anise leaped on her husband into an embrace as he held her loosely. 

“Thank the gods, you are OK! I... I thought you were dead.”

“I thought I was dead for a moment too. All I could think about was you, love.”

Anise pressed her lips to his, not caring about the sweat, blood, and dirt, holding him tightly, afraid to let him go. “I did it, Ulfric. I helped kill the dragon!”

“I knew you could do it, Ann,” he whispered, kissing her cheek.

Once she let go of Ulfric, she sensed someone else grab her, turning her around into an embrace. Relief flooded Teldryn to see his daughter let go of her paralyzing fear and fight. All his training came out in her as she helped defeat the dragon. “I’m so happy you are okay, _hla miluth_ , and you fought once more. I’m so proud of you.”

“Thank you, _ata_.”

Anise’s fear didn’t completely vanish, and she wasn’t sure how she was going to continue with her journey, but it was the fear that Ulfric died that finally drove her. In the end, she realized she wouldn’t be completely alone.

Instead of Anise getting back into the carriage, she wanted to ride back with her husband, so he lifted her onto Mangi as she rode in front, him clinging to her. 

“You are making a habit of saving me, Ann,” he whispered in her ear, then kissed her neck, pleased she was riding with him, and not hidden away.

“I will do everything I can to keep you around. You’re not exactly young anymore, old man,” she teased.

“Indeed. The burden you have to bear.”

She looked back at him and pursed her lips as he reached to kiss her. “Loving you is not a burden.”

“I wanted to speak to you all today, my people... all of my people. I hope it will please you to know there is a ceasefire with the Imperials. General Tullius and I have been in negotiations to end the war and bring Talos back to the people. Part of the negotiation was that I have to give up my rights as High King—”

There were a lot of ‘boos’ in the crowd with the mention he wouldn’t be King. 

Ulfric raised a hand and pleaded for calmness. “It is a sacrifice I will bear to bring Talos and peace back to this land—to bring your families back home to you. In recent events, I have uncovered the truth, thanks to my wife and your Dragonborn,” he explained, wrapping an arm around Anise as he addressed the crowd below. “She discovered the Aldmeri Dominion wanted this Civil War. They had certain machinations in place to destroy the people of Skyrim! While they wanted this war, I do not regret my choice to fight for our rights and Talos! No one should take away our beliefs! I will always fight for the people of Skyrim!”

The people below the balcony were quiet as they listened to their Jarl, their attention focused on what he was telling them. It was a rare thing he was doing, and they didn’t want to miss any of it.

“The Imperials are now aware of the danger of the Aldmeri Dominion! We are working on a treaty so that we may fight against them. To free Skyrim of Aldmeri Dominion rule! The Thalmor are our true enemy!” 

“Anything you would like to add, love,” he asked Anise as the crowd cheered.

“I guess so... I’m not used to this. It’s strange.”

“Don’t worry, just speak with your heart or what you know. You don’t have to, but I know the people will love to hear from the Dragonborn.”

Anise nodded, coursing with nervousness. “Yes, I am the Dragonborn. I did not choose this, but I will do whatever I can to protect this world from another enemy far greater than the Aldmeri Dominion. Alduin seeks to annihilate this world, and I will do whatever I can to stop him. I won’t lie. I am terrified, but I will not stop until one of us is dead, that I can promise.”

“Well done,” Ulfric said in her ear as the crowd clapped.

Addressing the crowd was unusual for Ulfric. He used to be so singularly focused; he didn’t think about it much except out of necessity. Ever since Anise talked about how he needed to focus also on his people, he wanted to make sure he kept in touch with them. She agreed it would please them if they knew what was going on in the world around them, and he was there to make sure he kept them safe.

Ulfric and Anise tangled themselves together in bed that night. He was sleeping soundly, but she struggled, as always, hating the nightmares and dreams where she couldn’t tell what was real or not. 

They had a long talk at dinner that night, and she explained to him she was leaving in a couple of days to the Reach and finally meet up with Delphine and Esbern. 

Anise received some not so pleasant letters from Delphine about not hearing from her. She finally wrote back that she would meet them in a week and explain everything, reluctant to go into details about what happened to her on paper.

Ulfric, understandably, argued not wanting her to go, believing she wasn’t ready. _Maybe I am not prepared, but I can’t delay any longer. I have to do this_. She already let Teldryn know what her plans were, and he agreed to be by her side. 

She watched her husband sleep as she combed fingers through his soft chest hair, wondering when the last time they made love. _Before I the Thalmor caught me, but not since, except for him trying to help me sleep._ Ulfric was on his back as he slept. She reached a hand to his face with gentle fingers, not wanting to wake him up. 

Despite her best efforts, her hand had a mind of its own as it slid down his body, over his nightshirt, and under the covers, reaching between his legs. It wasn’t doing much of anything as he slept. Still, her movements were stirring him awake as he slowly hardened to her caresses.

Ulfric felt a warm pressure between his legs, waking him up, unsurprised to see his wife awake but pleasantly surprised with her touches. He watched her sit up and pull her shift over her head, throwing it to the ground. She was completely naked. His skin cooled as she pulled the blankets off of him and removed his nightclothes. He hardened, just seeing her naked before him. Ulfric didn’t mind the pressure on his stomach as she sat on top of him, bending down to kiss him as he kneaded her breasts.

“I love you, Ulf,” she whispered in his ear, nipping at his lobe.

“I love you, Ann.”

Anise sat up and watched him close his eyes, hearing his breath hitch when she inserted him into her. She dragged delicate nails across his tight chest as she slowly rolled her hips. They were both tired, so it wasn’t heated and desperate.

She was warm, wet, and tight around him. He did what he could to keep from thrusting to enjoy her longer. He felt her muscles clench around him, and for a moment he thought she orgasmed, but she was just teasing him, tightening herself around him. Then slowly, she moved as he kept playing with her breasts, listening to her moan as he pinched her nipples. Anise’s movements grew faster, but it was hard work moving her hips back and forth, so she planted her hands on his chest as she bounced on top of him. He groaned when she sat up, and he hit her deep core as she clenched her muscles once more. 

“I will move you... touch yourself, Ann. I want to watch you in your pleasure as I feel you around me.”

Anise said nothing as she sat up straighter and slid fingers into her wetness, touching his hardness inside of her and dragged wet fingers around her bud. As she rubbed herself, Ulfric gripped her hips and thrust in and out of her, moving her body up and down with him. The movements weren’t too fast and hard, wanting to feel her explode around him. It was a favorite sensation of his next to orgasming himself.

Ulfric could tell she was close as her core grew hot and wetter, smoothly gliding in and out of her. Anise didn’t stop rubbing herself as she tightened all her muscles and pulsed around him, moaning loudly. He almost spilled in her when watching her close her eyes, open mouth moaning, head thrown back.

When she finished, hands fell pressed against his chest once more as he thrust hard and fast into her. Ulfric groaned loudly, spilling into her, slowing his hips until he was spent. Anise fell on top of him as he held her tightly, catching his breath.

“By Ysmir, I missed this,” he panted out. “You can wake me up any time.”

Anise laughed lightly in his neck, her breath sending goosebumps down his arm. “I will keep that in mind.”

Two days later, she was gone. Anise left for the Reach and Karthspire to meet Delphine and Esbern. At least she was with her father. Despite knowing she would not be alone, Ulfric worried for her. He feared for her state of mind, knowing personally how long it would take to recover mentally from torture. He worried he would never see her again, that she would die. The very thought nearly made him panic. Instead, he kept himself as busy as he could while she was gone and awaited the letters she promised to send him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: Father and daughter team


	38. Fathers and Daughters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now after all that drama, I thought I would add a little something more lighthearted. Anise is still struggling but with Teldryn for a father, it's hard not to laugh and have a bit of fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!! <3

It was going to take nearly a week to get to Karthspire in the Reach— _the ass-end of Skyrim_ , Anise thought, moodily as she rode on Baan. The last thing she wanted to do was leave Ulfric. Anise wanted to be with her husband, have a happy life, maybe have some children. But fate or destiny, or whatever it was, had control over her life like a taut rope around her neck. She knew that she had to deal with Alduin in hopes of defeating him for her and others to have any sort of future. That reminder only made her mood even more sour. 

Teldryn watched his _julikal_ ride on Baan, brows furrowed and frown upon her mouth with very little change on her face. “You look grumpier than a horker, _hla miluth_ ,” Teldryn quipped, noting his _julikal’s_ surly disposition.

“Trust me, horkers are happier than I am as they lounge on the frozen wastes, all the fish they could eat with not a care in the world. I would take being a horker right about now.”

“You have a point,” he replied. It was a typical banter for them, but Teldryn couldn’t help but feel that she was serious. He was still very concerned about his _julikal’s_ well-being, not ignorant of the fact that she was still suffering from depression. “I just worry about you. I understand why you are unhappy, but after everything you have been through and now on to face your greatest challenge...I guess I should be grateful I am with you by your side. You’re not alone, _hla miluth._ ”

Anise looked over at her _ata_. He looked older since he and Ulfric rescued her, perhaps from all the stress worrying about her. She knew how much he loved her, and she was grateful she got to not only find her _ata_ but to have a meaningful relationship with him. “I’m glad you are here too. I’m not sure how I could go on alone. I have you and Alkiirvur, thank Azura. But I...I don’t want to do this. Does that make me selfish?”

“No, _hla miluth_. It does not make you selfish. I would worry more for the person who would want to do this. For you to overcome everything and keep pushing forward...well, that makes you the strongest and most selfless person I know.”

Anise didn’t feel strong and selfless, but his words brought comfort regardless. “Thanks, _ata_.” She tried to smile at him, a small one at least, but it just came out as a grimace.

They rode slightly North West, then would head West through Whiterun instead of cutting through Eastmarch. It would have brought them too close to where she was taken, and she didn’t want to wonder what sort of stress or triggers that would give her. Eventually, they made camp near the mountains in the Pale. They wouldn’t reach Whiterun Hold until the next evening.

“Would you mind setting up camp while I go hunt us some dinner, _ata_?” Anise asked.

Teldryn didn’t want her hunting alone, especially after last time. “ _Hla miluth_ , maybe I should go instead.”

Anise felt her anger suddenly flare like fire, not understanding why. “Well, we all know what happened last time when you went hunting instead!” She cringed at her harsh words. She didn’t mean to say that to him as it just came tumbling out of her mouth.

Teldryn looked at her feeling the guilt course through him, already feeling responsible over what happened last time. “I’m so sorry, _hla miluth_ , I let you down…” he whispered and then went about making camp, unable to look at her or say anything.

Anise felt the pang in her stomach, and it wasn’t from hunger. Teldryn was a master at hiding his feelings from his face. It was as if the guilt was so intense he became an open book. She shouldn’t have said those words to him, and she couldn’t take it back. _Do I really resent him for this? It wasn’t his fault, so why did I lash out at him?_ She couldn’t figure it out, so she grabbed her bow and stormed off to hunt for their dinner, angrier at herself than him.

“ _Dur gein_ was cruel to her father,” Alkiirvur spoke up.

“I know! Thanks for being obvious, stupid dragon!”

“Now _dur gein_ being cruel to me. Why?”

“I don’t know! I don’t know! I’m...I’m angry and want to lash out at someone, anyone! I don’t want to be here,” she said finally. “I guess I want someone to be angry with, but there is no one to be angry at, so I’m attacking the two closest to me right now. If...if I’m not angry, then I will be upset and cry. Who wants a weepy Dragonborn?” Anise realized the extent of what she just did. “I’m sorry, Alkiirvur. It isn’t your fault, and you have helped me so much through all this.”

“I am fine. You need to say to your father.”

Anise sighed in frustration at herself. “I know I do...I will. First, dinner.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Teldryn sat by the fire, feeling guilty. He felt like he abandoned Anise when he went hunting that day, that he let her down. She ended up being tortured because he wasn’t more vigilant. He should have heard or noticed something and wondered if he was losing his touch at a merc. 

_She hates me for it, and I don’t blame her._

He was still concerned about her mental state and wondered if she was drawing again. 

_She needs to draw. It will help her through this_. 

Deciding to be nosy, he went through her pack, relieved to find her sketchbook in it. Pulling out the leather-bound book Teldryn bought her, which seemed so long ago, he leafed through the pages. He felt intrusive like he was reading her journal for some reason. It felt sneaky and underhanded, though Anise was not very secretive or private about her art. Those feelings didn’t stop him from looking through her book; his concern overriding any sense of unease about invading her privacy.

Teldryn rolled pages with his thumb until he got towards the last few pages she sketched on. Many of the sketches were haunting and disturbing. She drew monsters, dragons killing people, then there were some self-portraits of her with pained or weeping expressions. The sketches were thick, dark, and erratic with the charcoal. It wasn’t her normal light and sketchy hand, but there were some beautiful ones as well. She drew scenes of her sitting next to a dragon... _Alkiirvur_? There was no color, but the scene was lovely, with them lying together under a large tree. Despite the dark undertones of her other sketches, the ones with the dragon gave him hope that she was recovering... _at least she’s doing art_.

Teldryn put her sketchbook away carefully, making sure it didn’t look like he disturbed it or went through her things. 

_I don’t need Annie to have another reason to be angry with me._

He tried not to worry and pace while Anise was gone. She needed the space and not have people hovering over her, but he couldn’t help but feel anxious. She had been gone three-quarters of an hour already. 

_If she doesn’t return in the fifteen minutes, I’m going after her._

Before Teldryn had a chance to go after her, Anise returned much to his relief. Her face was strangely blank of all emotions as she threw a pheasant and a rabbit at his feet. 

“We are eating well tonight,” she declared. “I know how much you love pheasant, so you can have it.”

“We can share it,” he said as he picked up the bird and started to expertly pluck the feathers while Anise skinned and gutted the rabbit.

Anise was quiet while they were hard at work preparing their meal, finding it difficult to come up with a worthy apology for her _ata_ , but it had to be done.

“I’m so sorry for what I said, _ata_. I...I didn’t mean it,” she finally said after the long and awkward silence.

“Of course you meant it, and that is OK, _hla miluth_. I deserved it.”

Anise felt even more remorseful than before. She had hurt him, and she hadn’t meant to. Tears welled up in her eyes from her shame. “No, I didn't mean those words. I was just angry at my situation and wanted to take it out on someone, and you just happened to be that someone. I would have done the same to anyone else. I’m so sorry I hurt you. I truly do not blame you for what happened.”

Teldryn looked at his _julikal_ and how guilty she looked for her words. He still felt pained regarding her capture, but he believed her when she told him she didn’t really blame him. “Regardless, I should have been more vigilant. I should have brought you with me to hunt that day.”

“It is not your fault, and there was no way you could have known a bunch of deranged Thalmor would have captured me. The fault lies entirely with them.”

It pained her what she just put her _ata_ through and came over to sit by him by the fire as he was cleaning the bird. Anise wrapped her arm around him and pulled him in for a slight embrace, then gave him a platonic kiss on his cheek. “I love you... _Os daelha ohn, ata._ ”

“ _Os daelha ohn, julikal.”_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the third day, they decided to stay at Anise’s home in Whiterun. It had been a long time since she had been there. Now that she lived in the Palace with Ulfric, she decided to eventually give it to her parents as a wedding gift when they married if her _alma_ would be willing to move. There were plenty of people in Whiterun who needed the kind of help her _alma_ loved to give. Her _alma_ would need it as the Dunmer people in the Gray Quarter were doing much better.

After they got settled in, Anise dragged Teldryn to the Bannered Mare for some drinks and food. She missed a lively place. She grabbed them a table and ordered them a couple of mead and stews for dinner. Anise felt almost normal again, eating good food, drinking, and spending time with her _ata_. Teldryn even managed to get her to laugh a couple of times. 

_It feels good...it feels good to laugh,_ she thought as she enjoyed the crowd, noise, music, and ambiance.

Not soon after they got their meals, she looked up to see two hulking twins walk in. They didn’t look thrilled, their frowns on their faces and sorrow in their eyes, which wasn’t like them. Vilkas and Farkas were usually content, so it was strange to see them unhappy. 

_Admittedly, when I saw them last, they weren’t happy either because I stopped our fun, but this is a different type of sadness._

Farkas and Vilkas came up to Anise with sad smiles on their faces. They seemed happy to see her, but they couldn’t get past whatever negativity they were feeling. She stood up and gave them each a hug and introduced them to Teldryn, her _ata_ , who invited them to sit down with them for dinner.

The twins gratefully sat, especially with no tables left in the place.

“My brother and I miss our fun together, Anise,” Farkas suddenly blurted out. “We haven’t been able to find another woman willing to be with both of us since you.”

Vilkas punched his brother hard on the arm as Anise choked on her mead she was sipping, feeling her face on fire as she looked sheepishly at her father. She turned even darker when she saw his own face turn virtually purple. Vilkas was patting her back as she coughed up her mead.

“Ow!” Farkas yelled out.

“Brother, you have a big mouth! Always speaking before thinking!” Vilkas scolded.

“Uhm, sorry about that, yeah...you do know this is my father, right, Farkas?” she informed him, then looked back at her father, giving him a weak smile.

“Oh, uhm, sorry about that. We just missed you...it’s been a rough few months.”

“What’s happened?” she asked.

Vilkas and Farkas told her the whole story of a great battle at Jorrvaskr with the Silver Hand, a group that was seeking to destroy the Companions. They managed to kill Skjor and their Harbinger, Kodlak. The Companions then had been fighting among themselves regarding who was going to be the next Harbinger after destroying the Silver Hand in retaliation. Their group was in shambles until they could figure out who was to lead and organize them once more.

“I’m so very sorry you lost people you cared about. No wonder you two look so miserable. Is there anything I can do, though I can’t do too much at the moment, I can try.”

“No, there is nothing for you to do, but my brother and I appreciate it,” Vilkas said. “It looks like I will eventually lead the Companions, and I guess we have to all grow up at some point.” He moodily eyed his mead, not drinking it. Vilkas didn’t want to be forced into leadership, but the alternative was worse.

Anise knew precisely what he meant. “I know that only too well…”

“Enough about us!” he yelled out in typical Farkas fashion. “What about you!”

Vilkas could see a pain suddenly cross her face and knew something just as bad happened to her. “What has happened?”

“I...I don’t want to burden you guys. You have enough to deal with…” she waved away.

“Come on, we poured out everything to you.”

“Fine…” Anise relented and explained everything that happened to her since the last time she saw the twins. She talked about her marriage to Ulfric Stormcloak, much to their surprise, as they were under the assumption like most everyone else that he was racist. Then the conversation led to her torture with the Thalmor and her recovery. “Now, I’m on another mission to find this _n’wah_ dragon and try to kill him, which I’m sure I will fail in epic proportions.”

“And we thought we had it bad,” said Vilkas. 

Anise waved a dismissive hand at the twin. “We have all had our share of pain...we don’t get to compare.”

As they all were leaving, she said her goodbyes to the twins as they gave her great bear hugs, squeezing the breath out of her. “I don’t know when or if I will be back, but I wish you great happiness and hope things get better for you and your Companions.”

When Anise and Teldryn walked into her home later that night, he could help but give her a little fatherly scold. “Twins, Annie? Really?”

“What?” she asked, feigning innocence with a ‘who me?’ look, but her purple hue gave everything away.

“Anise…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_“It sleeps like a giant, our tower of stones, Red Mountain, Red Mountain, all rumbles and moans._

_It tosses and turns, pray it won't wake,_

_And then without warning, the ground starts to shake!_

_As the world ends, the ground starts to shake!_

_So—_

_Heft a flask and say a prayer,_

_Red Mountain's about to explode._

_Have a drink but be aware,_

_It's doom the mountain forebodes._

_Lift a glass and curse the day,_

_Red Mountain's about to burst._

_Drink all your cares away,_

_Who wants to die with a thirst?_

_Die with a thirst!_

_Knockback a fiery flin, amid the smoke and ash._

_Drain the flask of whiskey; we'll be drunk in a flash!_

_Let's guzzle sujamma amid the fire and fumes_

_Tip back the jar of liquor, let inebriation bloom!_

_As the world ends, let inebriation bloom!_

_So—_

_Lift a glass and curse the day,_

_Red Mountain's about to burst._

_Drink all your cares away,_

_Who wants to die with a thirst?_

_Not me!_

_Die with a thirst!”_

“ _Ata_ , you are a terrible singer,” Anise giggled. “And that was a horrible song! Though, admittedly, I feel like getting drunk now.”

“Bard I may not be, but sometimes you just have to laugh at life, dear _hla miluth_.”

“The Bard’s College would have laughed you right out to the curb!” she teased.

“No need to be cruel,” he said, pretending to pout, but Teldryn was laughing at the truth of his daughter's words.

“Fair enough, but you may want to stick to mercenary work. At least it’s better than that stupid Dragonborn Comes song.”

“Indeed! Talk about terrible songs!”

“Whoever wrote that clearly does not know me and would regret their lyric choice,” she said, genuinely loathing the song and wanted to strangle every bard that sang it.

“One more time?” he asked teasingly.

“I’m going to have Alkiirvur freeze your ass if you sing anymore.”

“Do not involve me, _dur gein_. I like father's singing,” Alkiirvur said.

Teldryn barked out a laugh. “At least someone appreciates my singing!”

Anise rolled her eyes. “There’s no accounting for taste, apparently.”

They both had been on the road for three days since leaving Whiterun. Boredom was setting in, but they were OK with that, it was better than constant violence. They decided to stay in Rorikstead for the night before moving on to Karthspire, which they would be able to reach by late afternoon the next day if their luck held out. 

Having a decent bed was better than the cold ground outside, which would improve Anise's mood before meeting up with Delphine. She knew the woman would irritate the Oblivion out of her, and Anise needed all the comfort and calmness she could get.

“I sure miss my sujamma,” Teldryn complained while drinking his mead. “I don’t know what particular mead this is, but it tastes like piss with honey in it.”

“Urgh, talk about swill. Sujamma is disgusting, and I never understood why Dunmer liked it so much,” Anise countered.

Teldryn feigned anger. “Hrmph! You’re no daughter of mine.”

Anise laughed at her _ata_ , missing these times with him. It had been a long time since she sat in a tavern, had a drink, and laughed with him. She told him as much. She enjoyed her time with him at the Bannered Mare and Frostfruit Inn.

“I miss this too, _hla miluth._ What makes me happier than anything is to see you finally smile.” Teldryn looked at his mead thoughtfully. “I was beginning to wonder if I would ever see it again.”

“You always manage to make me smile, _ata_. Ulfric tries, but he’s a bit stiffer than you are. At least he smiles when I make jokes, but that could just be him being polite because he loves me.”

“Speaking of which, I know how much you love each other, but I’m still trying to wrap my head around it. You two seem so...mismatched.”

Anise laughed under her breath and shrugged, understanding why her _ata_ would think so. “We are quite different, but I think that is why it works. We sort of...fill in the blanks of each other’s story.”

“I can understand that, I guess, as long as you are happy, _hla miluth_. So, tell me more about these people we are meeting,” he asked, watching his daughter roll her eyes.

“The woman, Delphine, is horrible. She’s controlling, bossy, sends me on wild and dangerous errands, not caring if I can do it or survive it. I honestly want to throttle her. She was with the Blades at one point, big enemies of the Thalmor and dragon hunters themselves. She’s been on the run since the Great War and still in hiding, using me to do her bidding.

Anise chugged rest of her mead and waved at the barmaid for another as her smiling face was replaced with a scowl. “I think being shut out in hiding from the world for so long has left Delphine brain-addled. The same could be said for Esbern. He, too, had been in hiding, but he literally locked himself in prison to stay hidden for who knows how many years. It will be interesting to work with both of them, to say the least.”

“Wonderful...sounds like it’s going to be great fun,” Teldryn said, oozing with sarcasm. 

“Well, I guess, if anyone has the answers I need to defeat Alduin, it will be Esbern.”

Anise and Teldryn said their goodnights after dinner and headed to their rooms, agreeing they would be up before dawn to make it to Karthspire before it got dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: The Long Way Around and Delays.


	39. Forsworn Territory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anise and Teldryn find themselves delayed, having to go around Karthspire to avoid the large clan of Forsworn. Their delay led to their capture of the Forsworn anyway and Anise hopes she can talk her and Teldyrn out of their situation, not really in the mood to be a prison once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I threw in a little Ulfric lore here. There are two sides to this story I found in my research, so I played it up to be more along with how I have written his character.

Behind a large outcropping of stone on the cliffside, Anise and Teldryn hid out of sight from the Forsworn below. The Reachmen looked like ants so far down, the dangerous, killing type of ants. Karthspire was virtually a city of Forsworn full of haphazard buildings and piers over the river covered in sleeping tents.

"Those are a lot of Forsworn," Anise whispered, looking at her map spread before her on the ground. "If we go around the entire encampment, it will take another three days to get to that island across from Karth River where Sky Haven Temple is located."

Teldryn didn't look at her map, believing what she was telling him. He was watching the movement below, trying to analyze the possibility of attacking them. "I don't know, _hla miluth_ , as capable as we are, I don’t think we will be able to defeat them."

Anise nodded in agreement. "I don't think we can take them either. How many do you count so far, _ata_?"

"Hmmm, at least 30 of them. I think that is a Hagraven below over there too...damn _n’wahs_ ," Teldryn replied, pointing off to the left, below.

" _N'chow_ ," Anise gripped quietly. They were high up, but the cliffs easily echoed sound, and they didn't want to be heard by the enemies below.

Teldryn turned away from the valley below to sit next to Anise, his back against the large stone. “Is there any way we can negotiate with these people for a safe passage through?" He didn't know much about the Forsworn, never coming out this far in Skyrim.

"Certainly not if they find out I'm the wife of Ulfric Stormcloak."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, they were known as the Reachmen, Bretons, until Ulfric came along. Now they are the Forsworn thanks to him."

"I take it Ulfric didn't make life easy for them?"

"He told me the story of what happened once. It happened in Markarth, and it was the very reason he started the whole Stormcloak Rebellion. During the Great War, the Reachment quickly took over Markarth, believing it was their right all along...their land. I don't know the truth of that particular nugget, but the defeat was easy since the Imperials had left to fight in the War. The Jarl Hrolfdir of Markarth was sent fleeing, and the city was ruled by the Reachmen, peacefully apparently, for two years. Jarl Hrolfdir would not accept defeat and created a small army to take back Markarth. Guess who led the army?"

"Ulfric…" Teldryn answered.

"Yes. Ulfric agreed as the Jarl promised that the city would be free to worship Talos. Needless to say, they defeated the Reachmen who fled to the hills in the Reach. It wasn't just a defeat, but they had imprisoned their King, and many people who lived in Markarth lost their lives if they were in support of the Forsworn in any way. They were executed or put in the silver mines as prisoners. 

Apparently, it was bloody, and people died every day. Ulfric said he was blamed for all the death, ' _I get blamed for everything that goes wrong_ ,'" she said, impersonating Ulfric as best she could. "He said it was under the Jarl's orders. Ulfric was just a commander and gave no such orders as putting shopkeepers or vendors to death because of imagined support of the Forsworn."

"I think I see a pattern forming."

"He regrets the whole thing, not just because so many innocents lost their lives, but in the end, the Jarl made a promise that he couldn't keep...more like he wouldn't keep. Once the war was over, and Imperials returned, the Aldmeri Dominion put pressure on the Jarl and Imperials to overturn the right of Talos worship. I'm sure it was under the threat of death, so Jarl Hrolfdir turned his back on Ulfric and used him as a scapegoat. Not only was Talos worship removed, but Ulfric was imprisoned once more...betrayed yet again."

"No wonder he fights like he does and wants this country to be free of Aldmeri Dominion rule," Teldryn said.

"It wasn't even just the betrayal that set him off, but it was the loss of his father, Jarl Haog of Windhelm, who died while Ulfric was in prison. He was quite close to his father, and Ulfric was forced to smuggle out his father's eulogy. After all, that and his treatment by the Thalmor, let's just say he became quite bitter."

"Until my _julikal_ came along."

"I don't think I can give myself all the credit. Ulfric just needed something to live for again besides a war. I think his heart was always in it, but he was just too focused on one thing...driven, leaving him quite ignorant to the rest of the world around him."

"So, negotiations are out of the picture then?" Teldryn asked, focusing once more on the Forsworn below.

Anise sighed, thinking about it. "I mean, I can't imagine they would know who I am, but they aren't going to care or listen to a simple Dunmer girl. I would have to tell them who I am and the importance of my mission. If they know Ulfric is married to the Dragonborn, who can say. I'm not sure it's a risk we should take. They will kill us on sight for sure if they do know."

"Then perhaps we should take the long road, _hla miluth_. I don't think we should risk it."

"I agree. _B'vehk_! I will never hear the end of it from Delphine. She's already angry with me over the month-long delay."

Teldryn already hated the woman, and he had not even met her yet. "How can she be angry with you after everything you went through?"

"To be fair, she doesn't know. I didn't want to announce to the world that the Dragonborn was tortured and weak in case any letters were intercepted. The Thalmor had been intercepting Ulfric's letters, and I didn't want to risk it."

"Well, I still don't like her," he said.

"If you don't like her now, wait until you meet her…"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anise and Teldryn decided to head South then West around Karth River, sticking to the main roads to make it look as if they were innocent travelers or adventurers in case they came across any Forsworn, who were spread out in the entire Reach Hold. 

Anise didn't like the Reach as much as Falkreath or Riften with their beautiful thick woods, but there was something mystical about the Reach with its strong and pleasant scent of juniper. The rushing clean waters and valleys that were surrounded by craggy mountains were stunning, but the way the land was set up left valleys often in fog.

Teldryn and Anise traversed their horses through the dense mist, struggling to keep on the road. Teldryn was nervous, using his keen senses for anything that may want their deaths. "Perhaps we should set up camp early," he suggested.

"How? We won't even be able to find a good place to camp in this _n'chow_ fog."

"Anything on that map of yours?"

"There are lots of things on my map, but I don't even know where we are. There are no landmarks that I can even see."

"Alright, I guess we just keep going, but let's be quiet as much as we can. I don't know what is out there, and I want to hear them coming," Teldryn said.

They had been riding their horses for nearly two hours, and the fog had not lifted at all. It was eerily quiet in the Reach, not even a bird could be heard. The only sound coming from their horses' hooves. Baan suddenly stopped in her tracks and waved her head around, snorting. Then she slowly backed up, as if she was afraid to go deeper into the mist.

Anise patted her horse's neck to put her at ease. "What's wrong, girl?"

Teldryn's horse was reacting the same as Baan, and he knew something was out there, something dangerous.

"Maybe we should turn around, _hla miluth._ I don't like this."

"I know clear skies shout, _dur gein_. It works with storms not sure about evil mist," Alkiirvur suddenly spoke up, whispering in Anise's voice. 

Anise found herself annoyed at her dragon. "You mean we could have cleared this earlier?"

"No, I not know. I want to try and see if it works. We didn't need it before, now we do."

"OK, try it then. We really need to press forward, then find a place to camp, but I have a feeling something is out there."

"LOK VAH KOOR!" Alkiirvur shouted, and to all of their surprise, the fog lifted; hopefully, it wasn't temporary. As the mist cleared, Anise and Teldryn could see what was before them. Dread formed in the pit of Anise's stomach... _not again_...her hands started shaking as fear coursed through her. After her mental torture, she wasn't sure if she could take anything else without a full mental breakdown.

They were surrounded by Forsworn, and all had their weapons drawn or spells ready should Anise or Teldryn make the wrong move.

" _Let me use shouts_ , dur gein. _I can stop_ ," Alkiirvur suggested.

" _No, there are too many. There are several behind us and on the cliffs. You won't be able to get them all. Our only hope is to talk our way out of this._ "

"You are trespassing in Forsworn territory," a female Forsworn yelled out in front of them. She was standing just slightly in front of the road. Her hair was braided throughout with intricate feathers placed in them. Her armor was just strips of leather, leaving most of her body exposed to the elements. Anise wondered how these Forsworn stayed warm in the harsh climate.

"These are public roads. We have not traveled off the roads once despite the thickness of the fog," Anise insisted.

"Speaking of which, we all heard you say some strange words, and suddenly the fog cleared, exposing us. You are lucky we did not kill you immediately," the woman demanded.

Anise decided it was as good a time as any to tell them who she was and prayed to all the gods they were too secluded to know she was married to Ulfric. "I am the Dragonborn. My father and I are on our way to Karthspire to the Sky Haven Temple. We require information the Temple holds to help me defeat the dragon menace."

Anise and Teldryn were soon surrounded by laughter. "You, the Dragonborn? You're nothing but an elf who looks to be afraid of her own shadow. If you really are Dragonborn, the gods must truly be laughing."

"I assure you I am what I claim to be, whether you believe or not is irrelevant. If I do not fear my position, then I would be stupid or arrogant, both of which will certainly get me killed."

The woman raised her hand, and the laughter died down. "What does it matter to us if you are the Dragonborn? The dragons kill off our enemies. Perhaps we should embrace them."

Think quickly, Anise. "You could do that and not care, but the dragons will come for you as well if they haven't already attacked other Forsworn camps. They are a menace, but they aren't the only problem Skyrim has. It is Alduin who raises the dragons for his army. When he is ready, he will destroy this world, including all those in it...that means you. He will not stop until every single being in this world is dead."

"The only reason you are alive is that you cleared the mist with just words. If you were anyone else, you would be dead already. I was curious. I know not if what you say is true, only our matriarchs will know for certain. You will come with us and speak to them. If they find you are lying to us, you will both die on the spot."

"I'm assuming we have no choice in the matter," Anise said flatly.

The Forsworn woman smiled brightly. "None."

Anise and Teldryn were forced to tie up their horses below to a juniper tree as they made their way up the cliffside. Large ancient stones served as crumbling steps that stretched all the way up the mountain.

"This is Lost Valley Redoubt and is almost as large as our sister settlement in Karthspire, the very place you wish to go."

Anise didn't say anything as she took in her surroundings. The woman wasn't wrong, it was a large settlement with even more Forsworn. If looks could kill, Anise and Teldryn would be dead already, the hate clear on their faces, hate for anyone who was not Breton.

As they climbed, Anise saw that they were actually settled in some ancient Nord ruins. The ancient stones surrounded by beautiful waterfalls and crystal clear pools would have been lovely if not for the Forsworn.

"Be careful with these people, _hla miluth_. I worry it will not take much to kill us," Teldryn whispered. He received a punch to his kidneys for his effort and almost fell from the pain.

"Silence!" one of the Forsworn men yelled.

"Hey! There is no need to beat him! We are coming along nicely!" Anise said with more confidence than she felt. She was terrified, but their treatment of her _ata_ pissed her off.

The female leader looked at Anise, debating on beating her as well but decided to wait until she heard the matriarchs. "Leave the outsiders alone until we hear otherwise," she ordered.

As they neared the top, they came to a clean running river that flowed straight off the cliff to their right. The view was phenomenal, almost like the whole of Skyrim at their very touch. Being above the fog, they could see all the way to the sea. 

"Would you look at that," Anise whispered in awe at the beauty before her, almost forgetting the danger she and Teldryn were walking into.

Not long after, Anise and Teldryn were led to an ancient wall with dragon language written all over it and two Hagravens who were busy cutting out the heart of a male Forsworn.

" _That is word wall,_ dur gein _. You learn dragon words here too, but I teach_ ," Alkiirvur informed her.

Anise and Teldryn were forced to their knees in front of the Hagravens, trying to breathe through their mouths. The stench of rot, blood, and things that had long forgotten how to bathe. The hags' greasy hair hung long and limply, their dry skin with protrusions of feathers and long talons on their feet and hands were covered in blood and dirt.

"Dragonborn end of times!" one of the Hagravens grunted out, her voice harsh and guttural as if from misuse.

"Yes, dragon!" the other chimed in.

"Good, our children did not kill!"

"Yes, not kill! Good!"

"You believe me then?" Anise asked tentatively, not wanting to talk to these witches, but had no choice.

"Yes, see, we do."

"...dragon soul inside and married to enemy you are."

Anise swallowed hard and looked around, wondering where the killing blow would come from. “I...yes,” was all she could squeak out.

“Secrete safe.”

“...Forsworn know not,” the hags whispered. 

“You need help…”

“...help through Forsworn.”

Anise breathed a quiet sigh of relief that these unnatural hags didn’t tell the Forsworn she was married to Ulfric. "Yes, I need to reach Karthspire to get to Sky Haven Temple, but there are a lot of...Forsworn. They would kill us on sight."

"Kill, they will."

"Help you pass, we will."

Anise looked up in surprise. "You'll help us get through? I suppose there is some sort of catch. You want something from me."

"Catch…"

"Catch fish, yes, tasty!"

"No, I mean…"

"You help us…"

"...we help you."

"What would you have me do?"

"Markarth, free King!"

"Yes, we need King! In prison!"

"You want me to get your King...out of prison?"

"Yes, out of prison…"

"...free King!"

Anise thought about what they wanted in return for safe passage through Karthspire. "No."

If Hagravens could show shock, they did just then. They knew everything, and this Dragonborn was supposed to help their King get out of Markarth. 

"You defy?!"

"We see you help!"

"I cannot. I'm sorry. I have been delayed for too long. I have been...held prisoner and tortured. I cannot go through that again, but it took me a long time to recover. I must get to Sky Haven Temple and find a way to defeat Alduin."

"Alduin…"

"...black dragon."

"Yes, he will kill us all, and I can delay no longer. I would help you if there were time, but there is not. I'm sorry."

"You help or…"

"...you die."

"For all-seeing witches, you are stupid! We will all die if I cannot stop Alduin. I am running out of time!"

The hags looked at the female Forsworn leader. "Take to prison…"

"...teach her lesson to help free King."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!!
> 
> Next: A strange sort of luck from a dragon
> 
> I've started a story with a friend and beta reader that we wrote together about Nocturnal, Gallus, Karliah, and the rest. It's all about a demiprince of Nocturnal's.
> 
> [Daughter of Twilight](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24583165)


	40. Forced Allies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before the Forsworn could do anything to Anise and Teldryn, the very thing Anise has to hunt unexpectedly saves her life. No one likes Delphine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! <3

"No! You can't do this! I have to stop Alduin...you imprison me, I can't do that!" Anise yelled out while struggling against her captors as they removed her weapons. She prayed to all the gods she wouldn't be tortured again, she would not survive it. Tears spilled down her eyes, and panicked sweat dripped down her back as the Forsworn laughed at her weakness.

"You're pathetic, little girl," the female Forsworn scoffed.

"If you think me getting upset that I cannot save this world thanks to you, then you are just cold and maybe don't deserve to live anyway!" Anise spat out. "You've become so bitter and hateful, there is no helping you and your people. No one will ever come to your assistance or negotiate land for you. You're no better than bandits!"

"Shut your mouth! This is our land! It was taken from…" 

The Forsworn woman couldn't finish what she was saying before they heard a roar nearby and the beating of giant wings.

" _Gein do niin siiv mu, dur gein. Mu fen bo. Dov qahnoor niin_ (One of them found us, cursed one. We need to go. Dragon can kill them)," Alkiirvur responded in dragon tongue, thinking that they could make a break for it once the coming danger distracted the Forsworn. He also wanted to remind those Forsworn who they were as a dragon and Dragonborn.

" _Zu'u mindok nuz mu fen aak_ (I know, but we have to help)," Anise responded.

"What are you saying! Tell me now, or I kill you!" the female leader demanded.

"You kill me, I cannot save you."

"Save us? You're a weepy little girl. You can't do anything for anyone."

Alkiirvur was going to argue, but Anise silenced him. "We are going to help these people, whether they deserve it or not," Anise said out loud to him, remembering all those arguments with her mother and helping the Dunmer of the Gray Quarter. She understood now what her mother meant.

The roar was getting louder as the dragon neared. "You better get your people to safety," Anise suggested to the barbaric woman.

"That is a dragon, I assume? We can handle ourselves."

"Underestimating them will get you killed, but what do I care if you die or not? You're going to hurt me. Fight or not is your choice, but I have a job to do, so just stay out of my way when it comes."

Anise could hear the woman yelling out orders to her people ready for battle as she watched the dragon fly low overhead, feeling the wind from its wings as it blew by. 

"It is frost dragon, _dur gein_. I cannot use my ice form. You will need other shouts I give you," Alkiirvur explained.

"I have fire."

" _Ata_!" Anise yelled out, looking at Teldryn, who had his watchful eyes to the sky. "It’s an ice dragon, and we need fire spells!" Then she yelled out similar orders to the Forsworn, not sure if any of them cared or listened.

Teldryn nodded that he understood as he cast fireball spells in both hands. 

The dragon flew by once more and hovered over their heads. _Sheogorath, take these dragons and their arrogance_ , Anise thought as it laughed at her and Alkiirvur. _Typical n'wahs!_

" _Zu'u mindol daar lost hi, Alkiirvur. Hi los sahlo kos horvutah naal fin hokoron_ (I thought that was you, Alkiirvur. You are weak to be captured by the enemy)," it laughed.

Alkiirvur was tired of being taunted by these arrogant dragons. They should be on their father's side. " _Hi los fin hokoron. Hi fod kos voth un bormah ni Alduin_ (You are the enemy. You should be with our father, not Alduin)."

" _Hin bok lost meyz. Bok wah dir_ (Your time has come. Time to die)!" the dragon growled as it shouted frost breath. The shout was wide-spread, affecting several Forsworn who curled up on the ground freezing. Then it flew off to come around again, freezing the people below as he went.

Anise and Teldryn started shooting at it with fireballs. They knew they made their target a few times as the dragon roared and grunted in pain. 

The Forsworn were stunned for a moment after not taking the dragon threat seriously. The female leader finally shouted out orders to attack the dragon. She also started using fire as the others were firing arrows at the beast. 

The creature was fast, and it was hard to hit him, especially after dive-bombing the crowd below. 

Even the two Hagravens came out and attacked the dragon. Their fireballs spells were not any more potent than Anise's or Teldryn's, but in combination, they started to weaken the dragon, hearing it curse with every hit.

The vile beast landed on the ground, weakened and tired as Anise drew her sword. " _Ata_ , use the strongest lightning spell to help paralyze it!"

Once Teldryn used his chain lightning on both of his hands, the creature was momentarily frozen in place as electricity coursed through its body. It gave Anise enough time to jump on the creature's back and stab it in the head, the surefire way to kill it quickly. 

The dragon started to squirm too much as it thrashed its head to get Anise off before she had a chance to stab it. She hung on for dear life as it hopped and shook to fling her off of him as the electricity started to wear off. "Stop staring and work, you fools!" she shouted at the Forsworn, who was watching in awe as this little Dunmer girl tried to ride a dragon.

"With swords!" she yelled. "Not arrows...idiots! You're going to kill me!"

She felt it was cheating, but it was either the dragon or everyone else, so she cast her calming spell on the creature. Once it fell to the ground in relaxation and quit thrashing, Anise shoved her sword in its head, killing it.

Panting, she jumped off the dragon and fell on her butt. _Graceful Anise_. She then felt hands lifting her up and quickly let go as a glowing light swirled and penetrated around her. When she was done absorbing the dragon soul, she looked around at all the Forsworn, staring at her in awe. "What? Never seen a 'weeping little girl' kill a dragon before?" she said, oozing with sarcasm.

"No, we haven't," said the injured female leader, holding her arm that looked like it had frostbite. Anise walked over to the woman and cast her strongest healing spell on her. 

"I didn't need healing, outsider!" the woman complained as she tried to squirm away.

"You're welcome. By the way, you would have lost that arm if I hadn't."

Teldryn was tired of these _n'wahs_. "My _julikal_ , daughter, saved your lives! That dragon would have killed you all had she not been here. Because she's Dragonborn, she was able to absorb its soul, so it never comes back. You have treated her like garbage, and you owe her your _n'chow_ lives! Let go of your arrogance and ignorance for one second and let us go so we can finish killing Alduin and stop the rest of the dragons from attacking. They will attack again, of that I am certain. No one is safe!"

He watched the hags approach them once more as he groaned in his head. _Great, the hag twins are back_.

"You save us…"

"...from dragon, you did."

Anise didn't say anything, just wanting to be out of there and move on with her job. If they weren't going to help her, she hoped at least they would let her go.

"What boon you ask…"

"Yes, boon!"

Anise wanted to slam her forehead on something hard in frustration. "Seriously? Didn't we already have this discussion? Look, if you're not going to help me get through Karthspire, I would at least like my father and I to be let go so we can kill more dragons."

"Kill dragons, yes!"

"Help through Karthspire, we will."

Anise watched the Hagravens pluck some feathers and put them in a small bag along with a bloodied briar heart. 

"This get you through…

"...give to sister witch."

"You want me to give this to...a Hagraven in Karthspire?"

"Yes, show Forsworn."

"Show Forsworn will bring you to sister."

"And this sister will let me pass through unharmed?"

"Sister will know...help, she will."

"Yes, help."

As Teldryn and Anise left Lost Valley Redoubt back to their horses, Anise was in a foul mood. "After Karthspire, remind me to never set foot in the Reach again. By Azura, these people are nuts!"

"Agreed. Back in the Reach will be too soon for me, _hla miluth_. Let's get this over with."

"Urgh, Delphine is going to kill me!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Karthspire was an armpit compared to Lost Valley Redoubt, covered in tents and ramshackled piers while Lost Valley appeared more organized, if anything, compared to Karthspire. Both locations, though, were difficult to get in and out of, leaving intruders bottle-necked and quickly killed off. 

Anise and Teldryn tied up their horses a distance away and walked through the camp, hands raised in self-defense with the small sack in her hand held high. The Forsworn of the area all had their weapons trained on the father-daughter duo. The only reason they were not killed on sight was because of their matriarch, who was aware of their arrival.

A woman, not unlike the leader of the Forsworn from Lost Redoubt, in her scant furs and elaborate headdress, walked calmly to Anise and Teldryn. As she approached, Anise could see the woman was much older than the other leader with graying hair and wrinkles around her penetrating gray eyes.

"I am Giea. I have come to bring you to our matriarch. Follow me."

Anise wanted to complain as she was ready to move on with her life, but it was better than fighting off a few dozen of Forsworn. _As long as they let us through peacefully_.

Giea led them through the camp, weaving through tents, wooden piers over the Karth river, then past a small ancient structure. Anise wasn't sure what it was precisely but assumed it was part of more Nord ruins. They climbed a hill and eventually made their way towards their matriarch, another Hagraven. _How do these hags all look exactly alike? Maybe they really are sisters._

"Sisters call tell me arrival...were is bag? Proof?" she said, her voice so rough as she struggled with words.

Anise handed the creature the bag as the witch opened it with long taloned fingers. "Yes, all here. You may pass unharmed," she said, looking at Giea. "Before go future like to see?"

"You mean, you can see my future?"

"Yes...see with bones...water."

Anise thought about it. To know if she defeated Alduin and lived through it. Would she be happily married with children? Would there be peace finally in the world? In the end, she decided she didn't want to know. It could be worse than she ever anticipated, and that was something she did not want to know. Anise wasn't the type to skip a book to the last chapters without reading the story first. 

"No, I don't think I really want to know."

The Hagraven nodded and did not press the issue, then looked at Giea.

Giea gave the creature a nod and walked away. "Follow me."

As Anise and Teldryn followed the woman, the rest of the Forsworn lowered their weapons, but not their guard. The Dark Ones may have been allowed to pass, but that didn't mean they were trusted.

Giea led the two across the river, up a long flight of crumbling stone steps to the top of a hill. She then came to a stop and pointed in the distance. "Your friends camp down the river by a bridge." She looked behind them then. "That is the cave to take you to Sky Haven Temple. The Forsworn inside know of your coming."

"Thank you," Anise said in appreciation, relieved there was no aggression or a need to fight their way through. "You knew people were waiting for me?"

"It was seen. Matriarch told us to leave them alone." Giea, done with politeness, approached Anise carefully, instantly putting her on the defense. Anise could feel Teldryn also tense next to her, hand on the hilt of his sword. "Do not think for one moment we will not kill you should your friends attack us in any way. You will make clear to them they are not to approach our camp, especially without you. Go through the cave to the Temple only."

"I will tell them."

"That's a relief the hags at the other camp kept their word. That could have ended badly," Teldryn said as they made their way towards Delphine and Esbern camping.

"As long as we can keep Delphine under wraps. She seems...twitchy at best."

"Worse comes to worst, we can knock her out or something."

"That would definitely make up for the shit we have just been through! I got the first punch." 

It was getting dark by the time Teldryn and Anise made it to the small camp, pulling their horses behind them. They could see a blonde woman in leather armor stand ready, sword drawn while an elderly man had a spell prepared.

"Halt! Come no further!" Delphine yelled out, not knowing Teldryn and not recognizing Anise with a hood covering her hair.

"Put it away! It's me, Anise. You know...Dragonborn?"

Delphine sheathed her sword and looked warily at the two travelers. "Who is that with you? I said nothing about you bringing someone."

"You didn't say not to either, besides, I didn't realize I needed your permission to bring my father."

"Where in Oblivion have you been?! It's been over a month! I also expected you days ago! You are the laziest...I do hope your wedding was worth it that people won't die because you insisted on falling in love."

"Bitter, are we? Jealous no one loves you?" Anise spat out.

"Enough!" Teldryn yelled out. _Anise was right, I hate this woman already._ "Show a little respect to my daughter. The delay wasn't due to her marriage. She left a few days after when she was...taken from us by the Thalmor. Tortured! She…" Teldryn found he was still in pain over what happened to his _hla miluth_ as his voice cracked.

Anise heard the pain in his voice, realizing how much he also suffered, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder. "It's OK, _ata_. I'm fine now...well, on the whole."

"Great, so now you're damaged. What use are you going to be..."

Anise's fist suddenly connected to Delphine's face. As Delphine staggered back and placed a delicate hand on her cheek, Anise cradled her hand and bounced around. "Ow, ow, ow... _n'chow_ , that hurt!" she yelled out as she cast a healing spell on her hand, which had two broken fingers. 

"Delphine! That's enough! Has isolation turned you into a bitter bitch? What is wrong with you?" Esbern yelled.

The Blade woman didn't care. She rubbed her face angrily and scowled at Anise, her only thoughts were stopping the dragons and hurt feelings didn't affect her. "Let's get this over with. I've waited long enough."

"No," Teldryn and Anise said in unison.

"What do you mean, 'no?' Why did you bother showing up then?"

"We mean, we need rest. We have traveled for days around Karthspire to find a way through peacefully. You should know the Forsworn are letting us pass, unharmed to Sky Haven Temple, but in the meantime, we are exhausted and need sleep and something to eat. We will travel in the morning," Anise explained, trying to wish away this vile woman.

Delphine, true to form, was impatient. "I will move on then, and you can meet up later. I want to get to that Temple."

"You cannot. If you go through Karthspire without me, they will kill you on sight."

Esbern also tried to rationalize with the Blade woman. "We cannot enter the Temple without the Dragonborn. Some of the traps cannot be lifted without her."

"Fantastic," Delphine said, almost pouting.

Anise, caring little about the woman, grabbed her and Teldryn's gear from their horses so they could set up their tents and bedrolls. "I'm done arguing. I'm exhausted and getting some shut-eye."

Later that night, Anise woke up to a horrific nightmare. She still had them frequently, but they were lessening with time. Usually, she slept with Ulfric, who was quick to hold her and calm as she would drift back to sleep, but he wasn't there. Her only other option was her _ata_. She felt like she was a child again when she had a nightmare and would crawl into her _alma's_ bed, but she was no longer a child.

Crawling into her father's tent, she gently woke him up. He stirred awake and rolled over to groggily face his daughter. "I'm sorry for waking you, _ata_ , but I feel like I'm five Winters again. I...I had a horrible nightmare and, well...Ulfric is usually there for me, but…"

"But he's not here,” he finished for her. “You need to sleep in here?"

Anise just nodded, hoping he wouldn't turn her away.

"Go on then...get your bedroll. There should be enough room in here."

Anise set her bedroll next to Teldryn and snuggled in close to him. She didn't need to be held, just feel his warmth, to know someone was close. She was never an overly courageous person, but after the Thalmor, she had periodic spells of fright that could overwhelm her, nearly suffocating her.

Early the next morning, Anise and Teldryn woke up to good smells in the air. Something was cooking that had both of their stomachs growling and mouths salivating.

Anise exited the tent first, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and stretching her tired muscles awake. "Mmmm, something smells good!"

"Indeed! I could eat a slaughterfish raw, I'm so hungry," Teldryn interjected.

Delphine was stirring in a pot hanging over the campfire. Blonde hair tucked behind her ears, and a large bruise was forming on her cheek. Years working at the Inn had taught her how to make decent meals. "Who knows when we'll eat again, so I made up a hearty stew of pheasant I killed last night and some red wine and a few vegetables."

Anise was skeptical and had a strong suspicion she was being bribed somehow or perhaps poisoned. Who knew with Delphine. "What's the occasion? It's a lot of trouble for the 'who knows when we'll eat again' scenario."

"You're smarter than you look, you know. Yes, I, well, I felt bad for my behavior last night. Perhaps I deserved the punch to the face. I had been waiting over a month for you, and then you were three days late meeting us. I was at my wit's end...I was cruel, and I'm sorry."

Anise raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms, doubting the woman. "No one changes that quickly. What gives?"

"I...I heard your nightmares last night. They sounded horrible. You talk quite a bit...more like screamed and words were clear at some points. I could tell they did a number on you and I'm sorry, for what it's worth."

"So, you make it up by putting food in my belly?”

Delphine nodded.

“OK, that works..."

Once they were all fed, the team put out the fire, made sure the horses were safe and secure, then hiked their way up the cliff to the cave and onward to Sky Haven Temple. The Forsworn kept their promise of safe passage and entered unhindered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: Letters of love.
> 
> I've started a story with a friend and beta reader that we wrote together about Nocturnal, Gallus, Karliah, and the rest. It's all about a demiprince of Nocturnal's.
> 
> [Daughter of Twilight](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24583165)


	41. A Series of Letters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The longer Anise is gone, the more worried Ulfric becomes, especially since he had not heard from her in a while. To calm his worry, he reads through all the letters she had sent him during her travels to find some clue as to her whereabouts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!

_It has been almost a month without a word from Ann_ , Ulfric thought as he paced in his bedroom, nerves frayed. It was a wonder he slept at all last night or any night for that matter since she left. The servants had brought him his usual breakfast with missives, but nothing from her. He hated not knowing what was going on or if she was even alive. There were not even reports from his soldiers or contacts about her. No one had seen her or her father in weeks. The last letter he received from her was at the College of Winterhold, then nothing.

“Dammit!” he yelled and threw his tea mug against the stone walls in a fit of anger and frustration. He hated feeling out of control, feeling that desperation clutch at his heart. Days back when he was tortured had left him with this obsessive need to know everything around him, never wanting to be that out of control again.

There was a tentative knock on his bedroom door, and he abruptly opened it. “What!”

Ingen folded her hands in her apron, red locks falling out of her cap as usual, not looking at the distressed and angry man. She heard the crash in his room and came to check on him, perhaps clean up his mess. “S...s...sorry, my lord. I...I just came to...check on…”

Ulfric softened when he saw the girl. He didn’t mean to scare her; in fact, he liked her as she was also a friend of his wife. “I’m sorry, Ingen. I am just worried about my wife.”

After his confession, Ingen stood up taller and more confident, understanding how he was feeling. She, too, worried about her mistress. “I miss her too. I also worry. She has been gone far too long,” she whispered, still not looking at the imposing man despite not being as nervous. “Can I come in and clean up for you?”

Ulfric stepped aside from his doorway to let her in and clean up his mess. “Has she written to you at all, Ingen?” 

“Just one, sir, a long time ago to let me know what she was doing and where she was going. She told me she had left Dragon Bridge and was on her way to High Hrothgar. That was the last I heard.”

“Dammit, that was two months ago!”

“Yes, sir,” she curtsied and busied herself cleaning up Ulfric’s mess, wiping up spilled tea off the wall and floor. Then she gathered his breakfast dishes and left him alone in his room to worry.

Ulfric sat by the fire, elbows on knees as he ran fingers through his mussed blonde hair. _I hate this not knowing!_ He stood up and pulled out all of Anise’s letters. _Perhaps there’s some clue or something I missed in her messages that will tell me where she might be_.

Sitting down cross-legged in bed, he spread out all her letters to sort them by date and read each the first one.

_Dearest Ulf,_

_Maybe I shouldn’t call you that as it sounds like the sound someone makes after getting punched in the stomach. I need to work on a better term of endearment._

_Leaving you left me quite surly on our way out of Windhelm, though, to be honest, I still can’t stand the city, but you make it worth it. It didn’t help that we were traveling close to where I was taken, though data, and I made sure to give it a wide berth._

_I will write as much as I can. Every time we camp, I will write something, so be prepared to be bored. So much so, you may ask me to just stop writing. Seriously, who can possibly be bored by me!_

_I love you,_

_Ann_

Ulfric smiled at her words, her first letter. It was nice to see some of her humor return. He was worried for a while he would never hear a quip or sass again. He did worry when she left if she would be triggered when she came close to her abduction, but she seemed OK.

_Yi com dealekil,_

_It means ‘my sweet husband’ in Dunmeri. Is that a bit better? Well, better than sounds from stomach problems. Ulfric is fine...Ulf, not so much. I miss you already. It’s only been two days, and it feels like weeks. I know it sounds mushy, but it’s the truth._

_Today we made camp, and I got angry at my ata. I said some hurtful things I regret, blaming him for me getting taken. It wasn’t his fault, and I realized I was just angry at my destiny and having to leave you. I apologized, but I hope he forgives me._

_I love you,_

_Ohm daelikal (Your wife)_

_P.S. Names are a bit mushy, but I like being able to send you a letter, and no one knows who they are from or to with the Thalmor out there._

One word Ulfric would never have used to describe him was ‘sweet,’ but apparently, she saw him as such. He could imagine her stress and worry about being the Dragonborn. Having so much riding on one’s shoulders could be overwhelming; he knew all too well. Her getting angry at the person closest to her was understandable, and he was sure Teldryn understood and forgave her.

_Yi com dealekil,_

_I’m sitting here in camp by the firelight writing this to you—nothing exciting to report. I have been trying to sketch, but sometimes my drawings turn out dark and not because I’m using too much charcoal. The subject matter is dark. While they are dark, it is a catharsis for me. I’m sure anyone who saw them would think I was insane._

_I try to create something more uplifting too. Alkiirvur had helped me a lot in my recovery. He would visit me in a special place I created in my head to help me recover. It has become a happy place where we sit and talk. I get to see him as he is, a big and beautiful dragon. I have attached one of those drawings in this letter to you. I hope you like it._

_I love you,_

_Ohm daelikal_

Ulfric pulled out the drawing he kept rolled up with her letter and looked at it. _I should frame this one too and hang it next to my portrait._ It was the first time he had an image of Alkiirvur. He was immense as he lay there on the ground curled up around Anise while she leaned into his thigh with a smile on her face. There was a beautiful tree next to them, and though it was without color, he recognized it as an Eldergleam tree in bloom, familiar with the pink blossoms.

_Yi com dealekil,_

_We arrived in Whiterun today, finally! Baan is getting the royal treatment over in the stables. I paid extra for long grooming and had them give her an apple, her favorite. The courier is nearby, so I can finally hand off my letters to him. You should get all four at the same time, along with my drawing._

_Anyway, ata and I finished eating at the Bannered Mare in Whiterun. It’s nice to be back at my home despite not even living here all that long. It’s a town I had grown to love. I’m thinking of giving my old house to ata and alma after they wed. What do you think?_

_Nothing much else to tell other than how much I miss you. When I get back, we are going to be rabbits and have lots of bunnies._

_I love you,_

_Ohm daelikal_

Ulfric smiled at imagining all the lovemaking they would do when she returned. Anise wanting a lot of children also pleased him, but after all this time not hearing from her, he worried if any of that would come to pass. If she would ever return, and if she did return, would she be the same person? _Probably not_. He knew all too well how dramatic life events change a person. He loudly blew out air in an exaggerated sigh and moved on to the next letter.

_Yi com dealekil,_

_Ata and I are camping once more. Exciting times they are not, but we keep each other company. He and I share similar personalities, so there is quite a bit of sass and sarcasm, as you can imagine._

_It’s going to take two more days to get to Rorikstead, where we will stay the night, and I will send my letters off with the courier. I’m looking forward to staying at an inn once more. It’s just too cold without you snuggling next to me, keeping me warm._

_I still get nightmares once in a while. It’s hard not to crawl into the tent with ata. You are always there for me when they happen, now you’re not. It’s hard as I suffer them alone, so I don’t get much sleep when they happen. I can’t wait to be back in your arms, though I know it won’t be anytime soon. The road is too damned long._

_I love you,_

_Ohm daelikal_

_P.S. I remember those cold days fondly._

Ulfric remembered those cold days fondly too. Though it had been out of necessity, he didn’t hate holding her. Her skin was so soft, yet her body was lean and muscular. Memories of holding a woman thought forgotten, and it brought forth desires, a want for Anise. He told himself, perhaps convinced himself, that he couldn’t have her. Politics dictated he wed a Nord noblewoman. If it wasn’t for Anise finding his dossier from the Thalmor and finding a way out of the politics and war, he would never have been able to marry her. He regretted nothing.

_Yi com dealekil,_

_Sorry I did not write a letter at the last camp. I was so tired that as soon as tents were set and bedrolls laid out, I passed out to sleep, skipping dinner altogether. I had not had much sleep recently due to the nightmares. At least I got some sleep last night and was relatively dreamless. Ata was worried about me, thinking I was getting sick but was relieved I was fine in the morning._

_Anyway, we are here in Rorikstead. I have not been here before, and it’s a quaint little town with a large farming community. Who knows how they grow crops in this forsaken rocky terrain, but they manage._

_There’s a young man here who has been pestering me and ata about bringing him along on some adventures, but I assured him he did not want to go where we were going. He was so green, never setting foot outside of his town. It reminded me a lot of my life in Windhelm before my life turned upside down._

_I regret nothing, though, as it brought my path to yours._

_I love you,_

_Ohm daelikal_

Smiling at memories of the day, she came stumbling into his throne room. She was so scared and intimidated, and he was sure he didn’t help her ease. Before he met her, he realized how perpetually angry he was. _How different she is now...how different I am_.

Reading her letters strangely brought him some sort of ease. Though he was still worried about her, reading her words brought him solace, grateful she wrote to him so much. If he lost her, not wanting to think about such things, he at least had her letters to reflect back on. 

_Yi com dealekil,_

_I have not written in a while. Life took a dramatic turn. Ata and I had a view of Karthspire and realized we would not be able to make it through without being killed by Forsworn, so we decided to waste another three days going around. I could almost touch Sky Haven Temple, and it was frustrating to know we would have to delay our travels that much more._

_We were delayed further when we were captured by a group of Forsworn. Before you panic, we were finally let go. They took us to two Hagravens, vile creatures they are who are in need of a serious bath. They said they would help us get through the Karthspire camp, but they wanted me to do a rescue of their King in Markarth...I assume you know who he is. I did not tell them I was married to you, but those hags knew already. Disturbing! I’m still shuddering at the thought._

_They were going to haul me and ata away, probably with torture because I refused to do their bidding. Before I could panic, a dragon attacked the camp, and yours truly saved the day...barely. They finally accepted that I needed to move on and agreed to help me pass through Karthspire._

_Delphine is going to kill me._

_I love you,_

_Ohm daelikal_

When he read that particular letter, he was upset about the danger she faced, and that was only going to be the beginning. If that dragon had not shown up, who knows what would have happened to her and Teldryn. He didn’t doubt if the Forsworn found out she was his wife, that they would have killed her on the spot, dragon, or no dragon. Ulfric didn’t understand why the hags kept that part silent.

Ulfric wished she gave him more details as to what happened. Perhaps she didn’t have the time to tell him everything, or she didn’t want to worry him and omitted most of the details.

_Yi com dealekil,_

_We are camping with Delphine and Esbern, finally. After reaching Karthspire, they brought us to the Hagraven, their matriarch, who let us pass through unharmed. I honestly doubted the other two hags would keep their promise. Ata and I were shown where Delphine was camping and where Sky Haven Temple was located._

_Soon we can find out how to defeat Alduin, I hope, and finally, be done with it. I have a feeling it won’t be that simple...it never is._

_At least I got to punch Delphine in the face. (How do you men punch each other...that n’chow hurts!) She, understandably, was frustrated with my month-long delay but didn’t seem to care about why. If I didn’t punch her, ata looked on the verge of killing her. It was quite cathartic, though. She apologized this morning, at least._

_I had a nightmare last night. It was terrible, and I felt like a child crawling into ata’s tent. I just couldn’t be alone. Now we are on our way to Sky Haven Temple._

_I miss you more every day,_

_Ohm daelikal_

He laughed at images of Anise punching Delphine. Anise wasn’t much of a fighter, and he could imagine how much it hurt her hand to do so. Then his thoughts turned more grim, knowing she was still suffering from nightmares, so much so she had to seek comfort from her father. Ulfric wished he was there for her.

_Yi com dealekil,_

_Sky Haven Temple is beautiful and amazing! You should see it, love. Did you know it was built by the Akaviri Dragonguard, who came before the Blades? The ruins are so different from those of the Nords. It’s hard to describe, but I attached a quick sketch of it._

_Alduin’s wall is massive, with a dramatically carved scene of the Prophecy. Apparently, there is a shout I need to learn to defeat Alduin. I hope it’s that simple, but it never is. Now I have to go see the Graybeards once more and learn the Dragonrend shout. I asked Alkiirvur if he knew it, but he was not familiar with it. He said no dragon can learn it as it was created by humans._

_I love you,_

_Ohm daelikal_

He pulled out the sketch of the temple. It was so different from Skyrim structures and ruins, he had nothing to compare it to, but it looked beautiful. 

Those were the last few letters he received when she went to Dragon Bridge until after she reached High Hrothgar, sending one more message from Ivarstead. There her story was taking a fascinating turn.

_Yi com dealekil,_

_Now I understand why you left High Hrothgar. Those old men are fools being hidden away from life for so long. Would you believe they thought I should meditate while the world burns! S’wits, the lot of them! To be fair, it was more Angier. The others urged him to help me._

_It turns out their leader is an n’chow dragon! Alkiirvur instantly recognized him as Paarthurnax, the dragon that betrayed Alduin. He and Alkiirvur had quite a conversation. It surprised Paarthurnax that Alkiirvur was even aware, being inside of me. Did you know he's also the one teaching the Graybeards the Dragon Language? He’s older than my mother’s bed linens._

_Alkiirvur informed me that Paarthurnax was cruel before he found peace and chose a different path. It’s hard to believe after meeting him._

_Unfortunately, he doesn’t know Dragonrend either, so now I’m forced to go to the College of Winterhold and seek out an Elder Scroll, whatever that is. Apparently, one was used to put Alduin through time. It’s quite confusing for the likes of me. If I can get a hold of the Elder Scroll, it is supposed to show me the past and learn the Dragonrend Shout._

_I love you and miss you,_

_Ohm daelikal_

There were a couple more short notes from Anise before he skipped to the last letter from her while she stayed in the College of Winterhold.

_Yi com dealekil,_

_The College here is lovely but n’chow freezing! I thought Windhelm was terrible! I’m surprised I have fingers and toes left. But oh, the extra magic I could learn. There is no time, though, as I found I am seeking a man by the name of Septimus Signus. He wrote a book that explained about the Elder Scroll I seek, but it was complete gibberish. Now I have to find this man and get him to explain to me where to find this scroll. At least he’s not far from here._

_I have to be very careful around the College, despite all the books and learning, as there is a Thalmor here. Everyone has been extra careful not to say too much, believing him to be a spy, which I’m sure he is. I have hidden away from him as much as possible, and I hope he doesn’t know who I am. I have asked the Archmage here to keep who I am a secret for now. I can’t help but have horrific flashes every time I see the Altmer. I’m grateful ata is here with me because I’m not sure how I would fare if I were alone._

_This Elder Scroll expert, while not far, is remote living in some cave in the ice. I’m not looking forward to slipping on my ass every time I walk. I don’t know how everyone else can walk on ice without breaking something important._

_I am unsure if he has the scroll or if he will send me somewhere, but I will do my best to write to you as soon as I can._

_I love you and miss you,_

_Ohm daelikal_

That was the last letter he received from her. It soothed him to read her words, but now that he was done, he was worried all over again. It had been too long since her last letter, unable to believe she had not come across anywhere that had civilization in nearly a month. It made Ulfric wonder all the more if she was dead. If Teldryn had lived, he would have let Ulfric know as well. _Maybe they are both dead then. No, I refuse to believe that._

Ulfric had also hounded Anise’s mother, Ridena, but she had not received any letters from Teldryn or Anise as long as he had. 

All he could do was wait and pray to Talos that she lives. 

Ulfric had been praying daily in the Temple of Talos. Several days after reading his wife’s letters, he sat in a pew, eyes upon his God, begging him to return her to him soon. His quiet meditation was abruptly interrupted as Ingen came running in, yelling. 

“My lord! My lord!” she yelled, nearly out of breath, her cap had fallen off of her head as long red hair spilled about her shoulders.

“Ingen! I know you and my wife are close, but I am…”

Ingen cut him off because she knew he would want to know immediately. “My lord, I know, but you have a letter! It’s from my lady!” she exclaimed excitedly, a broad smile painted on her face.

Ulfric stood and yanked the parchment out of the girl’s hand, quickly opening it to read.

_Yi com dealekil,_

_I am sorry it took so long to write to you. I know you are probably worried about me. I am alive as I write this letter, as is my ata. I also sent word to my alma. This will be long to give you peace of mind._

_It’s been long and hard. We are both exhausted, even Alkiirvur is frustrated and tired. After finding the mad man who knows so much about Elder Scrolls led me to some Dwarven ruins in between Winterhold and Dawnstar. Oh, the place was so long and horrific and amazing and terrifying! It took nearly a week to go through them!_

_We started out fighting skooma addicts of all things, then on to fight Dwemer traps, metal creatures the likes I had never seen before, some bigger than three of you! After we made it safely through the ruins, we made a quick camp, taking turns to sleep. There were creepy sounds in the deep, lots of twittering, and something I couldn’t recognize._

_The next day, ata and I were faced with Falmer for the first time. Vile creatures who were blind, but knew we were there and disgusting insect-like creatures who shot out poison. There seemed to be so many! We made it through finally with some injuries, but we were able to heal each other._

_You wouldn’t believe what we saw next. It was like a whole new world underground! It was magnificent in its dark beauty and glowing plants that lit our way. The place was also full of Falmer, but we had more room to maneuver and could pluck them off with arrows. Despite the stench of the creatures, the air was fresh and clean with rushing waters._

_It took us three days to find our way out there, as we got easily lost, and back into more Dwemer ruins, but it was short. We came to this large, round room that had some strange machine. In the center was the Elder Scroll. After several tries figuring out the puzzle, I was able to take it, and we brought it straight to Paarthurnax, not wanting to waste any more time._

_I know you were probably nervous, but we did not rest long nor have the time to write. At the tip of the Throat of the World, I opened the Scroll per Paarthurnax’s behest as it opened the time-wound where Alduin first appeared. I learned the Shout, my love! The Nords fighting a great dragon battle used it to send Alduin through time, and I got to see the entire thing as if I was there!_

_I now write in frustration! Alduin took note of the Elder Scroll use, and a great battle ensued with him. I used the shout to keep him grounded as Teldryn, Paarthurnax, and I fought the n’wah! It was long and brutal, and we almost defeated him, but the coward fled! He flew off, and now I have to find him again!_

_I am now in Whiterun to lure another dragon into telling me where Alduin has fled. Dragonsreach, if you didn’t know, was created to hold dragons! Now that the war is virtually over, the Jarl eagerly allowed the use of his keep to trap the dragon._

_In the morning, Teldryn and I will trap this creature, and then I hope to be on my way to finally defeat Alduin. I pray this is almost over. I am so tired in every way. The only thing keeping me moving forward is you._

_I love you so much!_

_Ohm daelikal_

Ulfric, uncharacteristically, grabbed Ingen into an embrace he was so happy to finally hear from his wife. He had been worried sick and couldn’t help but let negative thoughts pass his mind. He knew Anise had a long journey still ahead of her, but she had made it so far, he was confident she could do it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: Loss and Grief.
> 
> I hope you check out my story that I co-wrote with Vokukendov about Gallus, Karliah, a Demiprince of Nocturnal, and Brynjolf.
> 
> [Daughter of Twilight](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24583165)


	42. Death and Rise of the Dragonborn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Six months have passed with no sign of the Dragonborn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! <3

The Palace of the Kings became a dreary place in recent weeks. Ulfric could find no joy and could not be persuaded to come out of his room or the temple. He dealt with important missives in his bedroom, still maintaining contact with General Tullius, who was eagerly waiting for word on the Peace Treaty. 

There had been no word from Anise since her last letter three weeks ago. It was hard for Ulfric to mingle with nobles or dignitaries when he was so distracted with his wife’s whereabouts or if she was even alive. He had also not addressed his people in a long while with no news to give them.

Ulfric was in his bed late one afternoon rereading Anise’s letters, and read her last one three more times. It was the only thing he had of hers that kept him holding on to hope, but that hope was slowly fading the more time passed. He was so engrossed in one of her letters he didn’t hear the knock on his door.

The person on the other side of his door knocked louder when it wasn’t answered. Ulfric growled at the disruption and abruptly responded to his door. Before him stood Anise’s father, Teldryn. The shock wasn’t the only thing Ulfric felt. Memories of Anise’s torture hit him full force when he saw her father with worry in his eyes. _No, she can’t be gone...No! I refuse to believe it._ Despite his internal arguments, he found his eyes watering.

“They, uhm, said I should come up to you directly,” Teldryn said, standing awkwardly, feeling intrusive in the Jarl’s private quarters.

“Is she…” Ulfric's voice croaked, unable to finish the question.

“Honestly, I don’t know.”

“What happened?”

“You got her letter about trapping the dragon?” Teldryn asked.

Ulfric just nodded and waved his hand for Teldryn to continue.

“Well, we did. We trapped that damned _n’wah_ dragon. Anise learned his name, and...did you know dragon names are actual shouts? Neither did we. So, she shouted his name, and here comes this massive red dragon, arrogant and taunting. Dragonsreach had a huge balcony, large enough to hold a dragon as it landed snapping and snarling. We fought it and lured it into the trap and catching it, we did. The creature was forced to submit.”

Ulfric was wide-eyed, hearing the story of how his own wife trapped a great dragon without being killed. “By Ysmir...I can’t believe it didn’t kill you all.” 

“No, but it certainly tried. Once we had it pinned down, Anise, well, you know her and how demanding she can be.” Ulfric cocked a smile, knowing very well how she could be. “Well, she demanded the dragon tell her where Alduin went with the help of Alkiirvur. There was much back and forth before he finally told her. Alduin was hiding...by Azura...in Sovngarde of all places. Apparently, he likes to consume the...souls of long-dead warriors.”

“No one can enter Sovngarde unless...unless they are...dead,” Ulfric breathed out as he sat on his bed, wondering if his wife was indeed dead.

“Well, according to the dragon, there is a temple that Alduin fled to called Skuldafn. From there is a portal that will take you to Sovngarde. The only way to get to the temple was to fly there. There was no way for us to get there. The dragon promised to side with Anise should she defeat Alduin. He was losing the trust of the great dragon, so he reluctantly agreed to help her. 

I was ready to stand by her side to the end but damned if she didn’t just hop on the old dragon, looked at me apologetically, and just flew off. I waited in Whiterun for...I don’t know for a long time. She never returned. I...I don’t know if she’s alive, dead, but I thought I should come here and let you know what has happened. I really don’t know what to do. I am not the type to sit around waiting.”

“I am not either. We need to go to this temple then...find a way.”

“The dragon made it clear it was so high in the mountains just East of Eastmarch, that one cannot hike to it.”

“How in Oblivion was it built in the first place! Someone had to get up there with supplies to build the damned thing!” Ulfric yelled, feeling helpless, but racking his brain to find a way to her.

“I don’t know. We could try, but the mountain range is long and high. I would imagine it would take months to scour the area trying to find the temple.”

“Damnit!” Ulfric yelled, then sat on his bed and growling into his hands, the frustration palpable. “Leave me.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Four months had passed with no sign of the Dragonborn. The dragons were strangely quiet, with minimal attacks across Skyrim, and people wondered if she were finally successful in killing Alduin after all, but had died in battle.

Ulfric sat in his throne, listening to the petty squabbles of his people, but he listened, promising Ann he would take care of them. He was empty, feeling soulless. There was no hope left in him that she would ever return. It had been too long now, surely she was dead. Ulfric went through the motions of living, but that was about all he could do.

Two months ago, Ulfric received word from General Tullius that the Empire has secretly agreed to the Peace Treaty. The Legion did everything they could to keep that information from the Aldmeri Dominion. They decided to end the war and fight together as long as Ulfric gave up his claim to be High King and joined forces against the Thalmor, as promised. 

General Tullius and Ulfric Stormcloak met in secret in an undisclosed location and signed the treaty together so they wouldn’t be stopped by Thalmor spies. Once the agreement was signed, Ulfric was allowed to announce the good news to his people that their families could return home, and he would do what he could to help those who struggled during the war.

Ulfric then assigned Galmar Stonefist, the one man he trusted the most, to be Elisif the High Queen’s adviser. He would miss his friend, but Skyrim was more important than Ulfric’s feelings. 

Over the past few months, he had spent a lot of time with Anise’s parents, getting to really know them. He found they were the only ones who understood his loss because they lost her too. Sofia had chosen to remain by herself most of the time. She didn’t want to interact with the Jarl, missing her adoptive big sister too much.

Ridena struggled with Anise’s loss the most, not just because she raised her, but she wanted to give her daughter a funeral. Generally, the Dunmer preferred cremation, but there was no body to cremate. Teldryn insisted many Dunmer had been forced to give up the old ways anyway and interred the remains in halls of the dead. Ulfric wanted nothing to do with the conversation of a funeral for his wife. He felt if he had funeral services for Anise, it would finalize her death. He wasn’t ready for that. He wasn't prepared to admit defeat.

“When are you going to be ready, Ulfric,” Ridena demanded while they were eating dinner one night. She understood how Ulfric felt, but it had been over four months, and she desired closure for her and her daughter. In her heart, she felt perhaps her daughter was still alive, but if Anise was alive, she would have been home by now. She also knew her daughter, while the Dragonborn was not the physically strongest person. She was no warrior. 

“I will be ready when I see her dead corpse!” Ulfric yelled out. He threw his napkin on the table and abruptly left for his bedroom. “You can see yourself out.”

There was a light knock on his door soon after. He didn’t want to answer it, not wanting to face anyone right then. Ulfric was worried, stressed, angry, frustrated, yet he had not grieved. He was afraid if he grieved, it would admit her death. He knew if he answered that door, all his protective walls would come crumbling down. Despite Ulfric's desire to ignore the person on the other side of the door, his body had a mind of its own as he reached for the handle and opened it.

Ridena was standing before him weeping, and he could see Teldryn scrunching his face to keep his emotions under control, not looking at the two. “I need to grieve, Ulfric. Please.”

Just as Ulfric predicted, all his walls came crumbling down as he grasped Anise’s mother into an embrace and wept for his loss. After two decades of loneliness to finally find love again, only to have her taken away was too much for him to bear.

Ridena held him tightly as he wept into her embrace, and she cried with him.

Teldryn couldn’t take it anymore and left to go back home, feeling like he always let his daughter down. He felt like a failure.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anise left him six months ago to chase after Alduin and Ulfric finally had his chance to grieve. They had a small funeral service for her. He didn’t want to make a big production of it and kept it private for just him, Anise’s parents, and Sofia. He didn’t want to weep in front of his people, who could say their goodbyes later if they wished.

He slowly healed as he dealt with nobles, issues within his Hold, and made secret plans with General Tullius for the inevitable war to come against the Aldmeri Dominion. Ulfric had stationed soldiers close to Talos shrines throughout Skyrim so his people could worship without the threat of death from the Thalmor. He knew it would be only a matter of time before they started to take the situation seriously and retaliate. For the moment, though, the Nords were happy to have their God back and the war over.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Life had been good for Niranye in the past year or so. It was hard for an Altmer to make a living in Windhelm, but since the arrival and marriage of the Dunmer Dragonborn to Jarl Ulfric, the racism and hate had died down quite a bit. The racists didn’t stop suddenly hating, but they weren’t as vocal about it. Despite the struggles with the Nords before things changed, she worked hard, establishing connections and was able to eke out a living. 

Niranye walked to her merchant stall near the blacksmith, a slight skip in her step, feeling safe with dreams of one day opening a shop in town, or perhaps save enough money to explore Tamriel. 

It was early morning, and shoppers were not yet out and about as she headed to her stall when she stopped and saw someone facedown on the ground. The person looked like a soldier, but the armor was not the typical Stormcloak uniform. They were also smaller than most Nords, and Niranye wondered if it was a woman. 

She rushed over to the person lying on the ground and rolled them over to see a female Dunmer woman whom she instantly recognized. _They said she was dead_ , Niranye thought. _That is her, isn't it? Maybe it is someone else, but she should get some help regardless_.

Niranye saw a Stormcloak soldier marching through the area on duty and called him over. “Excuse me! Excuse me!” she yelled out, waving at him.

The guard walked up slowly and eyed the Altmer suspiciously. He had no trust for anyone from the Aldmeri Dominion, but he knew this woman was a merchant and had not caused any trouble as long as she had been there. Then he looked down and saw the woman on the ground looking quite dead, drawing his sword. “What did you do?!” he demanded.

“Do?! Or for the love of...If I did something to her, I certainly wouldn’t be calling you over, now would I?”

“I s’pose not.”

“Well, don’t just stand there! This woman needs help! I think she’s the Jarl’s wife.”

“It can’t be. The Jarl’s wife is dead, and they had a funeral for her and everything.”

Niranye was getting annoyed with this soldier wondering how he got such a job with so little brains. “I know this, but there was never a body, and this woman looks just like her! She doesn’t look familiar to you?”

The guard looked down at the Dunmer woman more closely, and while she looked similar, he couldn’t be sure. Her face was covered in wounds.

“Regardless of who she is, can we please carry her to the healer? We can take her to The White Phial. Nurelion is rather old and ill, so I don’t think he would be much help, but perhaps his apprentice Quintus can help.”

The guard finally nodded and picked up the Dunmer woman and carried her to the apothecary. 

Quintus looked over the injured woman and directed the soldier to carry her to his own bed. He wasn’t a typical healer with medical beds, but he could at least treat her with his potions. 

“You may go,” Quintus ordered the soldier and Niranye. “I will get her healed.”

Niranye, knowing the woman was in good hands, quickly ran to the Palace of the Kings and hoped the Jarl would listen to her.

When she arrived inside the throne room, Jarl Ulfric was seated before a crowd of his people, always vying for his attention to help them through problems they may be having. He looked completely disinterested, but he tried his best to help them, she could see. I’m never going to get to tell him waiting in line behind all these people! 

Niranye saw Jorlief looking over some notes while Ulfric was listening to a farmer about someone stealing crops and rushed over to him. “Excuse me, please.”

“You need to wait your turn,” Jorleif said, not looking up from his notes.

“I would, but this is very important, I think. I need to talk to the Jarl.”

“It’s always important, and everyone needs to talk to the Jarl.”

Niranye was getting frustrated with the man’s indifference. “It’s about his wife!” she yelled out in frustration as silence engulfed the throne room.

“What about my wife?” Ulfric asked the Altmer woman suspiciously, his baritone voice echoing off the high stone walls.

“My lord, I am sorry for the intrusion, but I believe...I think, but cannot be sure...she’s injured, but…”

“Out with it, woman!”

“Sorry, sir. Yes, I think I have found your wife. She was unconscious on the ground near the market. She at least looks like her, I think. Perhaps you could see and tell us for certain. I...I don’t want to give hope, but maybe.”

Ulfric was up from his seat and headed straight through the doors outside. “Everyone leave. I will deal with your— _petty squabbles_ —problems later. Woman, show me where she is.” 

Niranye followed the Jarl closely behind, trying to keep up with his long strides, and she was not short herself. “She’s at The White Phial, my lord,” she said, rushing ahead.

Ulfric followed the Altmer woman, refusing to give in to any sort of hope that Anise had returned. _If she had, how could she have possibly gotten here while unconscious? This has to be someone else_.

“She’s upstairs, my lord,” the High Elf instructed as soon as they entered the apothecary. 

Ulfric ran upstairs, taking two steps at a time until he reached the top level. It was open space, and he could see an elderly man in one bed and a Dunmer woman in the other. He knew instantly that it was Anise. He would know her anywhere despite the wounds on her face.

“Ann…” he whispered.

“Mm...my...lord! I...I...I…” Quintus stammered, shocked to see the Jarl himself in his place of work. 

Ulfric ignored the man and all that around him, his eyes focused solely on Anise. He fell to his knees, grabbed her hand, and wept on it, not caring who saw. “Ann…” he whispered again. 

“What’s wrong with her?” he finally asked.

“Well, she’s been severely injured. I’m treating her with an assortment of healing potions, but I’m not the healer here, my patron is, who is quite ill, as you can see. Regardless, she should recover in time. I cannot tell you exactly what happened to her. She just showed up like this.”

Ulfric stood and picked up his wife to bring her back to the palace to be treated by Wuunferth, his court wizard.

“What are you doing? I’m not done treating her!”

“Yes, you are. I appreciate your help, but my Court Wizard has healing magic.” Ulfric then looked at the Altmer woman. “Thank you for this gift.”

Niranye looked at the man in surprise that he even gave her a second glance and curtsied to him in response.

It was like Déjà vu as he stormed into the palace carrying an ill Anise in his arms for the third time since he had known her, yelling out orders. “And someone bring Wuunferth to me immediately! Then please, someone rush to get my wife’s parents!”

Ulfric laid Anise gently in their bed and started to remove her worn and beaten armor. He tried not to weep in relief as he forced back the tears. She wasn’t entirely out of the woods yet, and if anyone could heal her quickly, it would be his Court Wizard. He then tucked her under the covers and brushed away the hair from her face. It was so beaten up with bruises, cuts, and swollen eyes.

“Alright, let’s see her,” Wuunferth demanded as soon as he walked in. He ran glowing hands all over her body, not knowing all her injuries and did a master-level, full-body restoration. 

After about ten minutes, he was done. “There, that should do it. She should wake up at any moment. If she does not, come and get me.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ridena barged into Ulfric’s bedroom without knocking with Teldryn close behind. She tried not to weep at seeing her baby girl. Ulfric was sitting next to her in a chair, holding her hand smiling, trying to hold back the tears of relief.

“Hi, _alma_ and _ata_ ,” Anise said quietly with a small smile. She was almost fully healed, but she was exhausted, trying to stay awake for her parent’s arrival.

Ridena crawled into the bed with her daughter, not caring that it was the Jarl’s bed, kissing her forehead. “Oh, _julikal_! Where have you been! We...we thought you were dead!” 

“I thought I was too for a moment,” Anise replied. 

She looked over at her _ata_ , who could barely look at her as he struggled to hold back the flood of emotions. “ _Ata_ , we are all family here…” was all she said as he let the tears slip. 

“I was angry you left me behind for the longest time, but...but…” he couldn’t finish what he wanted to say.

“I know you were. I’m sorry. I was not going to risk your life further. You had _alma_ to return to.”

Teldryn sat on the edge of the bed by her feet and wiped his face with a hand. “What happened, _hla miluth_? You were gone for six months. Were you really fighting that dragon for so long? We...we had your funeral because we thought you were dead.”

“What?” Anise sat up weakly. “Six months? But that can’t be. It only took a few hours to get to the temple on that dragon. Then another couple of hours fighting off dragons and draugr at that _n’chow_ temple! I went through a portal that took me to Sovngarde, but...no, that’s impossible. I only fought him for less than a day. I rested in the Hall of Valor, found some warriors to help me…six months?”

Everyone was confused, wondering how six months could have passed when it only felt like a couple of days for Anise. 

“Sovngarde is another realm in a way. It does not hold to traditional measures of time,” Alkiirvur explained. 

“That might explain it. I don’t even remember all of it. I was fighting Alduin, I was so tired already from getting to him, weak. He thrashed me around quite a few times. It wasn’t just dealing with him, but he has this shout that sends down fiery meteors. Do you remember that, love, in Helgen? I was burned a few times, but there was one point he slammed me with his tail, and it knocked me out. I don’t remember after that. The next thing I knew, I woke up here.”

“I can help, _dur gein_. I fought for you. I took your body and fought Alduin and defeated him. I hope you not mad...I had no choice. But it was also my job to end him. He is gone now, but he is a god. He will not be gone forever. When done, warriors sent us back to Windhelm. They ask where I like to go,” Alkiirvur explained. “I will give memory next time by our tree.”

“You took over my body? Well, that explains the memory loss. Thank you, Alkiirvur. I’m not sure I could have done it without you. Alduin was unlike any other dragon we have fought before. He was...powerful. You are a great dragon, and Akotash chose well, at least in your case. He lost his mind choosing me.”

“You are brave, _dur gein_ ...for a _joor_ ,” he said, teasing her at the end. 

Anise yawned and stretched, barely able to keep her eyes open. “We can talk more later. I need some sleep now. So very tired…” she yawned again, eyes watering from exhaustion as she curled up into a ball, instantly falling asleep. 

Her parents left Ulfric alone with his wife to wait until she woke up once more. Ulfric crawled into bed with his wife and pulled her into him, holding her as close as he could without hurting her. She mumbled after being disturbed from her sleep but settled down. He kissed her head and thanked all the gods she had returned to him alive. 

“I love you, _yi daelikal._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: Epilogue
> 
> I hope you check out my story that I co-wrote with Vokukendov about Gallus, Karliah, a Demiprince of Nocturnal, and Brynjolf.
> 
> [Daughter of Twilight](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24583165)


	43. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We say goodbye to Anise, Ulfric, Teldryn, Ridena, and Alkiirvur. Just a little snippet into the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW content.

Anise sat beneath her Eldergleam tree, waiting for Alkiirvur to arrive. Of course, being her special place and now their special place, it was perfect in all ways. The day was bright and warm as it rained down pink flower petals from the great tree in the warm breeze.

She pulled her hair back from her eyes blowing in the wind as she watched Alkiirvur land on the ground loudly, the ground shaking from his weight. He stomped slowly next to the tree and curled up on the ground. Anise walked over and took her usual spot between leg and tail, running a delicate hand across his blue and white scales.

"I know I said this before, but thank you for protecting my body and killing Alduin. I know I wouldn't have been able to do it on my own," Anise said, grateful to having Alkiirvur a part of her, more than she could adequately convey to him.

"If you had not been knocked out, you would have been fine. You not give yourself credit. _Dur gein_ is strong, and you would have done all to defeat First Son. Akatosh would be proud. My honor to be part of Dragonborn."

"Thanks, Alkiirvur. That means a lot coming from you. So now…" Anise didn't want to say it, afraid to ask.

"What you want to ask, _dur gein_?"

"Does...does that mean you leave now? Now that Alduin is dead, will Akotash take you from me?" Anise's lip quivered at the thought of him leaving. She had come to love the dragon and didn't wish for him to go.

"No, I am here until you die. Only then can I return to my body, as will all dragons you consumed."

While she wanted to be happy with the knowledge he would always be with her, she was hit with sadness that he was perhaps stuck with her. "I am happy you are to stay with me, but surely you wish to return."

"Eventually, I will. You live long time, but time does not mean much to immortals. It will be blink of eye to me. Not worry about such things...I am here. Now ready for memory?"

Anise just nodded as she curled up into him and closed her eyes. 

She saw her body back in Sovngarde suddenly lift up off the ground, no longer clumsy as Alkiirvur was used to being in it by then. He cast her healing spell on her body, for she had a couple of broken bones. Alduin was distracted by the other warriors and had not yet seen her get up.

Alkiirvur raised her sword and readied an ice spell as he used the Whirlwind Sprint shout to rush himself close to the dragon god. Alduin, shocked, jumped out of the way like a startled cat, as Alkiirvur attacked with the sword. He shouted the Dragonrend to keep Alduin grounded as the black dragon tried to fly off.

" _Hi los aan nikriin, laan wah bo rul grah los hevno_ (You are a coward, Alduin, wanting to fly away when battle is difficult)!" Alkiirvur yelled at the black dragon.

" _Ahrk hi los sahlo joor! Hi fen dir_ (And you are a weak mortal! You will die)!" Alduin retorted.

Alkiirvur used an invisibility spell that Anise had never been able to master, which startled Alduin as he hopped around and swung his head in every direction looking for the Dragonborn. He was easily distracted as the other Nord warriors continued with their assault.

 _"Kolos los hi_ (Where are you)!" Alduin yelled out.

 _"Zu'u los het_ (I am here)," Alkiirvur said in Anise's voice, appearing on Alduin's neck as he thrust her sword into the dragon's head.

Alduin didn't get a chance to be shocked as his body quickly vanished into thin air like particles of dust blowing in the wind, gone forever from the world until his time to return and fulfill his destiny once more.

"Invisibility spell! That sure would have come in handy all those times when...well every time really. Can you teach it to me?"

"Look in mind, _dur gein_. You know now."

Anise concentrated on the spell, imagining herself into nothingness as her body faded from view then quickly returned.

"Oh, can you imagine all the pranks I could do with that?!" Anise said, excitedly.

Alkiirvur laughed at her excitement. "Fun, indeed."

Anise stood up and grabbed Alkiirvur around the neck and held him, planting a kiss on his snout. "I love you, Alkiirvur."

The blue and white dragon closed his eyes and would have smiled if he could. "I love _dur gein_."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Solstheim had not changed all that much since the last time Teldryn and Anise were there, though it had only been a couple of years. At least the day was clear, and the wind wasn't blowing ash from Red Mountain through Raven Rock. A perfect day for a wedding.

Anise, Sofia, Lucia, Ingen, and Ulfric all sat on some benches while Teldryn and Ridena married at the Dunmer Temple. 

"Thank you for coming, love. I know it is probably strange to be in a town filled with all Dunmer," Anise whispered to Ulfric.

Ulfric shrugged and kissed his wife on the cheek. "Of course, I would be here. I wouldn't miss it. I don't feel strange at all."

Anise's mother was beautiful in a long white flowing dress that used to be her mother's. It was very old and needed repair, but Ridena sewed it, and no one could notice that there had been any holes. Anise wanted to get her mother a new dress, but Ridena insisted she wear her mother's. 

Teldryn, too, cleaned up nicely in embroidered traditional Dunmer clothes.

Anise snorted a laugh. "Those knickers really suit you, _ata_ ," she teased while he was getting dressed before the wedding.

"Don't even start with me, girl," Teldryn growled. "If you tease me any further, I'm going to get married naked!"

"You wouldn't dare!" Anise cackled.

She smiled at him standing before her _alma_ , trying to suppress a laugh as he tugged and pulled around his neck, clearly uncomfortable in his wedding attire. 

Watching her parents get married would be one of the happiest memories Anise would have in her life. For them to finally get past their own personal wants about life, and realize they were made for each other, pleased her to no end. 

It had taken quite a bit of coaxing to get Ridena to move away from Windhelm to Whiterun. Anise had given her parents her home there, but Ridena was resistant to move, not wanting to leave her people.

" _Alma_ , our people are doing fine now. Besides, I am here to make sure they continue to do so. Go live a life with _ata_...enjoy it! You have given enough of your life to others. And if you get too bored, there are always people in Whiterun who need assistance," Anise explained, trying to convince her mother last year to finally move.

Teldryn was also tricky to budge, still pining away over his old mercenary work in Solstheim. He made a promise to Ridena to marry her, but it was hard to let go of his former life. Anise had to get involved in that as well. 

" _Ata_ , there will always be mercenary work in Whiterun. Just...don't overdo it and leave _alma_ alone for long periods. You two need each other now...you both have been separated long enough!" 

Anise finally convinced her parents to move into her quaint little house that had enough room for their adopted daughter, Sofia. Soon their family grew as they found another homeless Nord girl, who had been kicked out by her aunt when her mother died. Sofia and Lucia had quickly become close friends, though they still bickered as any siblings might.

People of Whiterun would give strange looks to see two Dunmer parents with two Nord girls, but no one ever said anything outright. Teldryn would have made sure no one ever repeated anything about it, had they been vocal.

After the wedding, the group headed over to The Retching Netch to celebrate. Geldis didn't attend the wedding as he prepared for the party to come. He strung lanterns throughout the tavern, giving the place a warm and inviting glow. Each table had simple jars with flowers. 

"Annie! Nice to see you again, girl! You are lookin' quite lovely, you are! How far along are you now?"

Anise started choking on her water she was sipping on as Ulfric patted her back, looking at her strangely. "How in all of…" she asked, wondering how Geldis could even tell.

"I was Morag Tong, remember? It was my job to notice everything."

"What is going on, Ann?" Ulfric asked, confused.

"Well, I was going to wait, but now that horker face over here couldn't keep his yap shut…" Anise explained, glaring at Geldis.

Geldis at least had the dignity to pretend to appear apologetic, though he couldn't hide the quirk of his smile. "Oops, was I not supposed to say anything?"

"No! You weren't! Well, too late now, _s'wit_."

Anise turned to Ulfric, hand on her stomach. "I was going to tell you later tonight, but no point in waiting now. We are going to have a baby," she said excitedly as she jumped up and down.

Ulfric watched his wife in all her excitement, jumping around with a broad smile on his face and laughed. When she settled down, he brushed away fallen hairs from her braided hair. "I can't tell you how happy that makes me, love."

"Are you truly happy, _Yi com dealekil?_ " Anise asked as she leaned into him, looking up with a glint of happiness in her eyes.

"More than you know, _yi daelikal."_

There was good food, drinks and dancing well into the evening. Virtually everyone was drunk as the night ended in the drinking song, Red Mountain.

_"It sleeps like a giant, our tower of stones, Red Mountain, Red Mountain, all rumbles and moans._

_It tosses and turns, pray it won't wake,_

_And then without warning, the ground starts to shake!_

_As the world ends, the ground starts to shake!_

_So—_

_Heft a flask and say a prayer,_

_Red Mountain's about to explode._

_Have a drink but be aware,_

_It's doom the mountain forebodes._

_Lift a glass and curse the day,_

_Red Mountain's about to burst._

_Drink all your cares away,_

_Who wants to die with a thirst?_

_Die with a thirst…_

That evening Ridena and Teldryn consummated their marriage in the best room Geldis had to offer. He had filled it with lanterns and fragrant wildflowers for them to help 'put them in the mood,' not that they needed the help.

Ridena wrapped her arms around Teldryn's neck and gave him a peck on the lips. "Well, we are finally married, old man."

"And a long life of tediousness and boredom," Teldryn sighed dramatically, teasing her.

"Ha! Speak for yourself, fetcher!"

Teldryn then looked at her thoughtfully. "I'm happy we finally did this, _yi daelha_."

"I am too."

"Not sure what to do with three daughters now. You women are going to kill me!"

"Oh, you love it, and you know it."

He laughed under his breath. "I do."

Teldryn pressed his lips to his new wife as they kissed and undressed each other, suddenly hungry for closeness. "Just no more kids," he blurted out as they scrambled into bed.

"No more...we have a grandbaby on the way."

Tedryn stopped his kissing on Ridena's stomach and looked up in shock. "What?!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anise and Ulfric were back home in Windhelm from Raven Rock as he slipped his wife's shift off of her shoulder, kissing it. "You are sure we can do this?"

"Make love? Oh, definitely. I'd never have children if we couldn't." She said in jest, but she was only half-joking.

Ulfric plunged his lips to hers and held her tightly. Tongue met tongue as he untied her shift, slowly pulled it off of her and let it fall to the ground. They did not part lips as she stepped out of it.

Finally pulling away, Anise removed Ulfric's nightshirt and sat down on her knees as she pulled off his linen breaches, his hardness greeting her face. She wasted no time in taking him into her mouth, wanting to taste him. He hissed as she ran a firm tongue along his tip as he grasped her head. 

Before she could get much further, he pulled himself out of his wife's mouth. "No, I want to save it for you."

Anise looked up and smiled as she pulled him down to her level by his hand. Ulfric laid himself down on the fur rugs in front of the fire and beckoned Anise to sit on top of him. 

She crawled over to him and straddled his hardness and tried to insert him into her wetness, but he pulled her forward to straddle his face instead. He used gentle fingers to pry her folds away as he dragged his tongue through her wetness. The first touch of tongue sent a shiver through her and rewarded him with a moan.

Ulfric swirled his tongue around her bud, feeling it swell then ran his tongue around her folds, so she didn't orgasm too soon, only too happy to give her what she wanted. 

Anise looked down to see him watching as he used his tongue expertly, which only served to fuel her already existing desires. "Grab my breasts," she demanded as she separated her own folds, so his hands could focus on other things. 

He knew she was close, watching her close her eyes and heard her breathing heavier. He pinched the nipples and focused on the one sensitive nerve as she soon exploded into his mouth, groaning loudly and struggling not to fall on his face as her legs became weak and shaky.

As she came down from her orgasmic high, she wasted no time as she scooted down and inserted him into her wetness. 

Ulfric watched Anise throw her head back and sigh as he was inserted into her. He gently rubbed her breasts as she slowly rolled her hips back and forth, taking her time. He could tell she was still feeling the waves of her pleasure, lips open and swollen, her core full of heat. Her hair was long again as it fell in her face. She tucked it away and looked down at him with sleepy eyes as a small smile played on her lips. 

He kept playing with her breasts, knowing she enjoyed it, pinching her nipples as she moved a bit faster. Her heat and wetness built him up sooner than he would have liked. It didn't help as she intentionally clenched muscles to tighten inside, making him moan out loud. 

Ulfric pulled her down and kissed her, then grasped her ass as he thrust faster into her, gyrating his hips as quickly as he could. It wasn't as easy being on his back, but he wasn't about to disrupt things by rolling them over. 

Anise could feel his thrusts stagger and feel him pulse inside of her, knowing he was exploding. The loud grunts with each thrust was a giveaway in itself. 

Their faces were sweaty as they kissed each other tenderly. Anise pressed her sweating forehead to his, as she tried to calm her breathing, then fell on top of his chest as he held her tightly. 

Ulfric ran gentle fingers along her back, feeling goosebumps form on her skin. He thought back to his life, wondering how he got to be so lucky to find someone like Anise. After a life of battles, war, losing his first love, being tortured and betrayed, he never believed he would find happiness again. It kept him bitter and unhappy for a long time, forgetting those who needed him. It was Anise who forced him to face what he had become. It was she who helped him love again. Now he had a child on the way, the war was over for now, and he looked forward to finally having a happy life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

With the help of Ingen, Ulfric braided his three-Summers-old daughter's black hair trying to drown out her mother's screams in the next room. He was already very close to his toddler, wanting to be a good father like he was with his own father, whom he had worshiped as a child.

"Why mama yell papa?" Hilde asked, her blue eyes looked up at him, his blue eyes. They were so beautiful with her dark skin. 

"You are going to have a baby brother or sister soon."

He wasn't just trying to tune out the screams for his daughter's benefit but his own. Every time Anise screamed, he wanted to rush in there. It was a stab to the heart, and he always worried something terrible would happen to her and their child. It didn't help that their first child resulted in complications. Hilde's birth was long and painful, leaving Anise bleeding excessively and weak. Fortunately, the Court Wizard was close by to heal her quickly before she could lose too much blood. Wuunferth just couldn't do anything until she was done giving birth.

Hilde sat on his lap as Ingen instructed Ulfric how to braid. "Separate three strands, then place one strand over the other, grabbing extra hair into existing strands...yes, good." 

The first braid was haphazard, but he was slowly getting it with the second braid. He tied a piece of leather around the second braid before someone burst into his bedroom. "My lord, please...come at once," said the servant.

Ulfric calmly gave Hilde to Ingen and didn't panic until he closed the door and ran to his wife, not wanting his daughter to see his fright. "What's happened?" he demanded from his servant.

"I do not know, my lord. They just told me to fetch you quickly."

Ulfric knew something was wrong. They didn't come for him in a rush the last time his daughter was born. With shaking hands, he opened the door to her birthing room and saw his wife pale and weak, barely acknowledging him. Fear hit the pit of his stomach like being stabbed by a sword in battle. 

He barely even noticed Teldryn there too pacing back and forth. Usually, the men were not allowed in the birthing room, but since Anise was in danger, the family needed to be there for her.

" _Ful pogaas faaz_ (so much pain)," Alkiirvur said in dragon through Anise's voice as she had already passed out.

"What's wrong?! What's happened?!" Ulfric demanded.

Ridena played midwife to Anise, as she had the last time. She had helped many Dunmer women give birth for years and felt confident she could help her daughter, and while the previous delivery was complicated, this one was outright dangerous. "Be with her, please. She needs to know you are there. Talk to her. She…" Ridena was struggling with her own emotions, but she had to be calm to keep her daughter and the child alive. She couldn't do any healing spells until the baby was born because it would prevent the birth, possibly killing the child. 

Wuunferth would have normally been there as he was last time, but he had passed away the following year from old age, and Ulfric had not yet found another Court Wizard.

"The baby is breech...legs first. It is painful, and the baby is stuck. I...I can't turn it around," Ridena continued.

Ulfric could feel the panic well up inside him. Ridena's voice indicated that he could lose both wife and child. "What do you mean? I don't understand."

Ridena's eyes welled up with tears, but she forced them down. "I...I have to cut the baby out. She...my _julikal_ may not live. As soon as I get the baby out, I will heal her quickly, but…just be prepared, Ulfric."

Ulfric could feel his own tears fill in his eyes, but he too pushed them back to be there for his wife. "Alkiirvur, you there for her? Is she there?"

"She by...tree. She not here now...I here to suffer for _dur gein_. Much pain!" Alkiirvur explained.

"It's going to get worse, I'm afraid, Alkiirvur. Hang on." Ridena took a sharp and clean dagger and tracked a long cut in Anise's abdomen as Alkiirvur screamed in Anise's voice. There was nothing to dull the pain, unfortunately. 

Ulfric could feel his wife's hand grasp his tightly with the pain. The screaming was even worse as Ridena dug in her stomach to pull out the baby and cut the cord. She handed the baby boy to the helper. "Get that baby to cry and clean him up...quickly now."

Ridena pulled out the placenta immediately and set about healing Anise. Alkiirvur/Anise had both long since passed out from the pain. Her heart was still beating, but it was weakening as Ridena pulled forth her strongest healing spell. When Ridena ran dry of mana, she poured several bottles of healing potion down her daughter's throat with the help of Ulfric. To his credit, while panic played on his face, he remained calm.

There was nothing they could do now but wait. Ridena wanted to sit with her daughter, but she had to make sure the child was fine. She could hear the infant wailing, knowing at least he was alive for now. 

Ulfric sat by Anise's bed, still holding her hand, kissing it as her mother left to check on his son. 

The healing potions and spells seemed to have been taking effect as Anise's eyes fluttered open. "What happened? Why do I hurt so much? I...I don't remember hurting this much last time."

Ulfric couldn't answer her for a moment as he wept in relief and looked back at Teldryn, who was holding back the emotions. Catching his breath, he explained. "Our son was backward, and we, your mother, had to cut him out of you. Alkiirvur took over for you."

"Son...is he OK," she asked weakly.

"I think so. I heard him cry."

"You...OK, Alk…"

"Tired, yes fine...glad dragon never have child," Alkiirvur complained. "I go away and sleep under tree now."

Anise looked over at her husband, reaching to his face to wipe away some tears he let escape. "I'm OK, love. My _alma_ is good at what she does."

Ulfric just nodded, tired of the fears of losing his wife. It had happened too many times over the years. "Never do that to me again. I'm not sure I can take almost losing you anymore."

"I will do my best, husband."

Ridena returned with a bundled baby. She had a smile on her face, so Anise knew her son was OK. Her _alma_ sat next to her _julikal_ and handed over the baby boy.

Anise held her son, and while she was exhausted, she kissed him on the head and smiled down on him. "Hi, little Alvur," Anise whispered. She and Ulfric had already chosen the name of their child. If the baby was a boy, they would name him a combination of Alkiirvur's name. 

Anise yawned as the baby nursed on her. Despite the happiness of having another child, it was a horrible day full of more pain than she ever had to endure. "Remind me to never have another child again…I’m not sure I can take another," she said in her sleepiness.

Ulfric kissed her head. "I think I can agree with that. That was too scary to go through again."

"See, I knew I liked you for a reason…" she quipped as she fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading Ice and Fire. I hope you enjoyed it and would love to hear what you all thought. <3
> 
> Don't forget to bookmark if you haven't finished reading so it doesn't get lost.
> 
> I hope you check out my story that I co-wrote with Vokukendov about Gallus, Karliah, a Demiprince of Nocturnal, and Brynjolf.
> 
> [Daughter of Twilight](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24583165)


End file.
